“The soul never thinks without a picture.”
~Aristotle
I recently had the opportunity to participate in the first stage of a strategic planning workshop for a community organization where I volunteer. The session was facilitated by Jim Haudan, CEO of Root, a company that specializes in strategy planning, execution and employee engagement.
Jim is also the author of an excellent book, The Art of Engagement, an extremely useful resource to organizations and leaders looking to take their strategy process from paper to action with employees engaged along the journey.
I’ve participated in many strategic planning sessions over my career and facilitated some as well. But the unique aspect of Root’s process (I’ve participated in more than a few that Jim has facilitated) is its emphasis on the power of a picture in each phase of the process.
An example of the impact of an image in the process is in building shared meaning among the group. Words like “excellence,” “vision” or even “strategy” mean different things to different people.
Look at these two pictures:
When you say the word “bear” two very different images can come to mind. Expanding the concept further, a bottle of aspirin (Bayer) or a baby’s “bare” bottom can be conjured up. Without clarity or shared meaning, one concept of “excellence” can mean different things to different people.
Root’s “Learning Maps,” focus on pictures, and the premise of creating shared meaning among participants, has transformed strategy and culture from large multi-national corporations to small not-for profits across the globe.
I’m looking forward to continuing the process.
What do you think? Do you have a clear picture of where your strategy is taking you?
To your success,
Mary
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