I am not always up on the latest trends.  Ripped jeans still look like worn out jeans to me.  Recently, my teenage kids let me know that jeans, ripped or not ripped, are out.  Now it’s about athletic pants and leggings, which are still peculiar and undefined for me.  Are leggings the same thing as footless tights?  I’m just not sure. 

Organizations tend to have trends too.  When I started my career, CQI was all the rage.  If you’re not familiar, CQI stands for Continuous Quality Improvement which is a fancy way of saying that it is a process of strategic planning and alignment.  The newest trend is Traction or EOS (The Entrepreneurs Operating System).  For those not familiar with EOS, it is a structured process to help organizations get on the same page, create alignment, and efficiently tackle problems in the organization.  It has some great tools, and it provides a template by which most organizations begin to identify problems.   

With any of these tools, no matter how well thought out and intentioned they are, they are only as good as the utilization.  That is why, many times, organizations find more success by having someone facilitate the process of going through EOS or CQI.  The facilitator’s job is to keep the discussion on track and productive.  They also help to ensure that no one person dominates the discussion which can kill the planning process.   

However, there is a piece that is overlooked with traditional strategic planning and that is implementation.  Experience has shown that this is where the best intentions can go awry.  Many strategic planning initiatives fizzle out because the organization just does not have the bandwidth to implement the new tools.  There is also an added complexity that team members are not pulling together because of underlying issues and no strategic planning process can fix this.   

That is why I recommend utilizing a facilitator or coach that can both assist the planning, the implementation, AND help your team function at peak performance.  Among our organizational clientele, PrairieFire is pleased to have a much higher degree of success and sustainability even in the uncertain times of a pandemic.  Companies with which we have worked not only have weathered this season of uncertainty well but are growing and expanding their reach.  Their success reflects a lot of work, flexibility, and staff unification to turn their own lemons into lemonade. 

Of course, our approach is not for everyone.  There are those looking for the “magic formula” that the latest program promises to achieve.  Still, if you are seeking assistance from someone who will work diligently to help you and your team get on the same page, customize the approach to your needs, and assist in tool implementation for greater success – then we would love to talk further with you.