How to get technical people to think strategically
Strategic planning meetings often become too tactical as the experts quickly begin to solve 'the problem' before the big picture is clear and everyone understands their role in the strategic plan.
Finance experts start on the numbers, engineers check the formula, marketing analysts jump to the data — they do not spend time to appreciate the firm as a whole. As a strategic planning facilitator, I learned to steer the teams discussions to the customer benefit, sustainable earnings and shared assets as they formulate strategy.
The executives in my seminars said:
| Use a facilitator or a neutral person to run the key meetings | 
| Use graphics, not tabular data |
| Educate them on the big picture - for example, let the team first sit on the back bench, listen to the firm's leaders discuss the problem |
| Find the relationship between their hot buttons and upper management's project or applications; find a niche for their expectations to improve the strategy plan |
| Integrate them with non-technical people or other experts, off site if possible | 
| Pose "what if scenarios," ask questions out of their comfort zone |
| Patiently, define the problem - take your time |
| Use well thought out agenda with the customer's perspective first. Set the stage that we are not seeking solutions, we are looking at the big picture |  | Teach by example, even technical people learn from successful experiences |
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The bar length indicates the most likely method for success. |
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