P2E2: A Framework for Results
Data show that the majority of change initiatives fail and even those that succeed don’t deliver the expected results. Everyone is suffering from change fatigue, and even the most enthusiastic and engaged folks are getting exhausted. Although we know this, we continue to plan and manage change in basically the same way we always have. We simply must adopt another approach if we are going to achieve different results and create a positive environment for future change efforts. There is no magic bullet, but the P2E2 (Preparation, Planning, Execution and Evolution) framework offers hope to those who are eager to try another way.
P2E2 is so versatile that you can use it for just about any change effort – from vacation planning to major organizational renewal. It’s a framework for thinking, planning and achieving amazing results. It’s about asking the right questions of the right people at the right time. It’s about doing the hard work up front and creating a sense of readiness across the organization before you leap into implementation. P2E2 requires patience, vision, engagement and a willingness to create rather than impose. It’s not for everyone or every organization. But it does work.
Why P2E2?
- You want to own every step of the change process and outcome.
- You want measurable results.
- You want to engage and be engaged.
- You are passionate and committed to innovation and creativity.
- You are longing for greater focus and alignment.
- You can hardly wait to celebrate people and their success.
Explore the four stages of P2E2.
1. Preparation: Get ready before you begin
How would you prepare for a 10K run? Would you train the same way you would for a marathon? Probably not. Especially if you want to be successful, have fun and be injury free. Preparation is equally critical in the change process. We need to “ready” the organization and create an environment that will nurture adaptation. It’s useless to have innovative ideas and creative thinking in a change-resistant organization. The first step to success is getting prepared for the change marathon. So why do we rush headlong into planning with little or no preparation?
- We’re busy and it takes time.
- It doesn’t matter, “they’ll” do what they want anyway.
- We don’t even have the data or information we need.
- The data might not agree with what we want to do…then what?
- It may not be ok to ask some of those questions…or answer them!
Great Preparation requires:
- A clear picture of what we want to achieve (do you want to walk a 10K or run a marathon?).
- Data to inform our choices – we spend more time researching our next car purchase than we spend understanding our business results or our competition.
- That we go beyond SWOT! I know it’s heresy, but assessing our strengths, weaknesses (which are not all internal) and our opportunities and threats (which are not all external) before we have a clear vision and strategic direction is a waste of time. The SWOT process keeps us steeped in the past and can be a real liability for strategic thinking. (Watch for my upcoming article, SWOT Revisited.)
- A willingness to challenge a culture of building on the past and a tendency toward “delusional optimism”?
- Organizational readiness – it takes a great team to win in a very competitive, cost-conscious, unpredictable environment. Don’t wait for the planning session to build the team. Good communication, issue resolution techniques and good relationships are indispensable when you get around the planning table.
- Asking the right questions – there are many good questions you might want to ask before you launch into a change initiative. For a sample of some great strategy questions, check out the Toolkit under Resources on my web site.
2. Planning: Make it clear, measurable and fun
Planning is a process that engages people in dreaming together and deciding how they can best use their collective skills and abilities to achieve dramatic results. A plan provides focus for an organization and direction for each organizational unit. It is a touchstone for decision making. When resources are tight and time is precious, we need a transparent way to decide what to say “no” to. A great plan provides that direction.
Unfortunately, planning has gotten a bad rap. Planning is often seen as a boring, frustrating, time-wasting exercise, and it can feel like an energy-sucking experience. Plans are often viewed as vehicles for justifying the reduction of expenses, staff and/or service. Even worse, great plans are sometimes developed, and then nothing changes.
The only way to change that perspective is to change the process and the outcome. We must create a sense of energy, excitement and enthusiasm for a better future and demonstrate how an integrated planning process will deliver those results.
People want to be engaged. Not just involved, but engaged. There is a deep sense of longing for a connection to something that will make a difference. The Conference Board of Canada says, “Engagement is when a person feels a heightened sense of emotional connection, a connection that influences the person to exert greater discretionary effort to achieve results.” It’s about touching the heart. And it will demand new ways of leading, connecting, listening, valuing and decision making.
Great Planning requires:
- A vision that challenges and motivates – it needs to make you tingle…really!
- Measurable goals that identify specific accountabilities – be clear about the deliverable and who’s going to deliver it. Eliminate words like encourage, maximize, participate, foster and increase. They are meaningless and not measurable. We need to know “when to have the party.”
- A common template gives people time to think. Clients find that my Strategic Planning Template helps them focus on critical issues and questions before they come to the planning forum.
- A cross-section of perspectives and interests – I could go on and on about this, but really, we’re going to get a better plan that more people will support if they have been a part of the process. Always go for a “diagonal slice” of the organization and the stakeholders.
- Great process design and facilitation of planning sessions – once you get everyone in the room, you need to keep them on task, feeling valued and affirmed and willing to create, not just compromise.
- That we not only live by the plan, but we strive to keep it alive and up to date.
- Review, monitoring and evaluation – we need a lot more time for celebration and acknowledgement of hard work and great results.
Planning will tell us what to say “no” to. The plan provides focus for the organization so everyone can align their activities and efforts. And it also gives direction for limiting or eliminating activities. As a good friend of mine says, “A great plan must be challenging, but if you over commit, you’ll always under deliver.” Always build time into your plan for the unexpected so you’ll have the energy to embrace new opportunities.
3. Execution: Don’t kill a dream, make it a reality!
When people plan the battle, they won’t battle the plan.
If we want our plans to be implemented, we must have a widely felt need for the change and a collective commitment to making it a reality. And even though great leadership is critical to successful change, leaders cannot do it alone.
Studies show that people are more energized and enthusiastic when they understand the ultimate goals and what’s expected of them. Unfortunately, this happens in only one out of three organizations. We ask people to act based on the excitement of others who may seem very removed from the day-to-day work. When we engage people in preparation and planning, they are more likely to stay engaged when it’s time to execute the plan. This is even more likely when they hear their own voice and see their own words in the document.
In Productive Workplaces, Marvin Weisbord says, “If you want a plan implemented, a company organized, work redesigned, or many problems solved at once, get as many key stakeholders as possible in one room and ask them to work on the task together. Use a wide-angle lens. Reaffirm dignity. Help people find meaning in their workplace. It’s not the ‘best way’…it’s quite simply the only way.”
After the plan is completed, it’s way too easy to put it on the shelf and get back to business as usual. Nothing will kill results or dampen enthusiasm as much as false starts and lack of follow-through.
Great Execution requires:
- That we keep people focused and don’t let them get distracted by the whims of either internal or external forces.
- That we reward execution of the plan. In some organizations, there is an Official Plan (the one that we show head office or the outside world) and a very different unofficial plan (what we’re really going to do, count and reward). No matter what the plan says, we will get what we reward.
- That we keep up the energy and excitement throughout execution – celebrate starting, midway (everything looks like a mistake in the middle) and good-faith attempts. It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and lose sight of the Vision.
- Learn from everything. Monitoring the plan keeps it top of mind. Formalize the “Debrief Process,” focus on system improvement and changes, and encourage everyone to participate in evaluating results.
- Communicate, communicate, communicate – develop multiple methods to get and give input and feedback. Keep everyone in the loop.
4. Evolution: Start with the end in mind
Great strategic planning is like playing pool. If you just play to make the next shot, you probably won’t win many games. Great pool players and great strategic planners know that it’s not the shot you make that matters, it’s how you position yourself for the next one.
And it’s all about great leadership. Great planning isn’t just about figuring out where to go next, it’s about figuring out where you want to go after what comes next. And that will continue to evolve as you move closer to your Vision and as the world continues to transform.
Great Evolution requires:
- A spirit of innovation, creativity and exploration.
- A willingness to let go and go where no one has gone before.
- A sense of caring for each other and those we serve.
- Adaptive leaders and an adaptive organization.
- Joy and celebration.
P2E2 is a framework for planning and implementing significant change initiatives. It puts you in the driver’s seat, but you don’t have to do it alone. People across your organization are hungering to get engaged and achieve great things. Ready to navigate the process? Contact Linda to design a framework that is just right for your organization. Then get ready to celebrate your great results.
