Hello there,
MC Replanning is right on the corner. Are you ready?
Replanning provides an invaluable opportunity to review our EY goals, reassess our direction, and fortify our commitment to creating meaningful impact. Our MC strategies dictate the course of action for the EY, nurture growth, and determine the organization's ability to bring about positive results. However, these strategies must remain flexible and adaptable in a rapidly changing context.
Here are some simple tips to make your replanning process a success:
1. Take a step back
During replanning, we can step back and evaluate our strategies critically. By delving into what has worked and what needs improvement, the MC gains valuable insights into its impact, ensuring it remains on track to achieve its mission. Moreover, replanning allows us to identify new opportunities and emerging challenges. Please practice critical thinking when assessing the ROI of a strategy and see if this is something you want to take forward to the second semester.
2. Engage critical stakeholders
Collaborative decision-making is essential to ensure the organization's strategies and goals are relevant, inclusive, and impactful. This collaborative approach enhances the organization's ability to leverage diverse perspectives, cultivate innovation, and build sustainable relationships. Could you ensure you approach your BoP (Board of Presidents, LCP Network) and your BoA (Board of Advisors, Supervisory Group, or trusty Alumni network) before replanning starts?
How can they help? For the BoP, it is all about gaining their insights and ensuring their voices, needs, and concerns are present during your critical discussions and reflected on the leading strategies and outcomes. On another hand, the BoA can bring you perspective and allow you to step into the “real world.” they can advise us on how national and global trends are moving and might affect the delivery and execution of your plans and strategies. Also, they can provide great insights for Risk Management, External Relationships, and PR planning.
3. Keep it simple
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Six months as MC have probably already taught you enough about the value of choosing battles, the importance of focusing on the most important thing, and that sometimes less is more. So, for replanning, make sure you implement this learning. Instead of embarking on three big projects, pick one that will be your focus for the semester, and the other two can become smaller deliverables for your EST network. You don’t need overcomplicated strategies; simple steps will take your EY from point A to B in the next six months.
4. Focus on the team
The MC term is hectic, the moments for team connection sometimes don’t seem to be enough or are tinted by the daily routines and on-demand situations that pop up weekly. You can use replanning to do that special activity your team has been dreaming about. If there are internal issues to address, hard conversations to have, or intense feedback rounds to be delivered, do them before your replanning starts. That way you ensure you are starting with a new, clean slide.
Be kind to each other, everyone is doing their best to ensure the EY growth and progress looks different to everyone. So be assertive when providing feedback to your teammates and foster an environment where people can feel safe failing and trying new ideas.
Bonus: I recommend you check this video by Harvard Business School about the fine line between a Plan and a strategy; it might also challenge some of your ideas about “strategic planning.”