Who's on your guest list? Are you planning a party soon? If so, you're thinking about where to hold it, what food to serve, should it be catered? And... most importantly, who should be invited? Probably more preparation goes into the guest list for most parties than goes into figuring out who to involve in your company's strategic business planning. Of course, you will involve the key decision makers, and perhaps some stakeholders (a major supplier, or a funder, if your organization is a non-profit), but will you think to include employees?

 

Who knows more about how your company really operates than your employees? Sure, it's up to the senior leadership to decide the broad strategic framework (where do we want to go, how quickly do we need to reach our destination and how will we know when we do?) However, there is no one more suited to answering the question, "How do we get there?" than your employees. And, not just one employee or two. Ask them all! Not only will you gain valuable insights, but you will earn employee commitment and ownership. To be clear.. we're not talking about soliciting random employee "suggestions." We're talking about focused efforts aimed at developing the "business plan" portion of your strategic initiative.

 

There are many ways to solicit this focused employee input. How about hosting a World Cafe? Or using a series of team meetings.. or surveys... or online discussion boards? Which will work best probably depends on how many employees you have, where they are located, and your corporate culture. 

 

Once you see the power of employee involvement, you'll never again wonder who to put at the top of your guest list.