At the beginning of every year, management teams meet to discuss the coming year and set expectations for product development, marketing, sales, and every other department that is vital to the health of the organization.

However, a group discussion to clearly define the organizations goals, vision and desired culture is the most important.

Selecting or validating the core behaviors that are critical to your business is also necessary. These behaviors can be used to align your people with business strategy. 

Here is a group exercise to help facilitate the discussion with your team. 

Explain the goal of the meeting is to clearly define the organizations goals, vision and desired culture.

STEP 1: Start by answering the following questions:

1. What are the Organization-level Goals?
   
   
2. How do you want the Organization to be talked about?
   Take a look at your current Vision Statement, or facilitate a brief discussion on
   what the PREFERRED VISION OF THE FUTURE is for the Organization.
   
   
3. How do you want to BE?
   Use a Values Statement or Strategy, anything that articulates the HOW you want to get results.  Insert the Vision Statement if you can get it beforehand, or facilitate a brief discussion on what their PREFERRED CULTURE would be for the Organization.
   
   
4. How do you want people to make decisions?
   
   
5. What do you want to be the unwritten rules in the Organization?
   You can point out that the number one reason why Leaders do not get the results they expect is that there is a disconnect between what the current culture of the organization is and what is actually needed to get the desired results.

STEP 2: Now have the group brainstorm the following:

1. What would it look like if everyone was dedicated to realizing what the Organization wanted to create or become – The Vision & Strategy?
   
   
2. What would it look like if everyone embraced the Values and Culture you want to be known for?
   
   
3. What would you see MORE OF in the organization if the Vision, Strategy and Culture was being realized?
   The KEY FACILITATION POINT is to force the group to talk about specific behaviors – not concepts or broad brushstrokes. Dig in at least a couple of layers on what people would actually do more or less of it they believed in and were dedicated to the Vision/Strategy and could embrace the desired Values and Culture. 
   WRITE THE GROUP COMMENTS ON FLIPCHARTS OR WHITEBOARDS.
   
4. How would everyone BEHAVE?
   Give this at least 5 – 10 minutes to drive home the point of thinking in terms of behavior. 
   Write as many behaviors as possible.

This exercise is an important step in the process to align your business strategy to your people. The desired result of the discussion is to provide a comprehensive list of behaviors needed to realize the desired Vision, Strategy and Culture. 

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