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• Should we do our strategic planning virtually or in-person?  The best answer is - it depends. Schedule an introductory call with M&A to customize what works best for your organization.  Here are the advantages to both options:

  • Virtual Alignment Sessions​

    • Flexibility - alignment sessions can be scheduled over a course of weeks at different times​

    • Saves Time - People don't have to commute to attend, and don't have to spend an entire day.

    • Cost Saving - Save on all travel costs for attendees and facilitator, including hotel, flights, food and an offsite venue.

    • Voice Equity - Easier for less outspoken participants to be heard in different ways.

    • Time & Space Between Sessions - Get the benefit of time in between your sessions to pause, reflect, and discuss.

    • More Engaging - Virtual sessions are shorter, and will keep participants engaged and involved the whole time.

  • In-Person Alignment Sessions​

    • Building Better Relationships - Brainstorming and bonding during informal time leads to deeper connections and a stronger culture.

    • Full Attention - Reduces the risk of people multi-tasking or being distracted with other activities and interruptions.

    • Nonverbal Communication - More effectively read body language and have a more "traditional" meeting.

    • Conversation - Communication flows more naturally in-person when multiple people speak at once.

    • More Tactile - Thee sessions are less reliant on technology, and some participants prefer to write and draw instead of type.

    • Non-Structured Communications - In-Person meetings allow for digressions, side conversation, and other communication building context and understanding.

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• Do you have a strategic planning consultant near me?  We offer strategic planning services online and in person all over the U.S. Depending on your location we may have one of our facilitators go to your location, or we might suggest virtual.

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• How long does the strategic planning process take?  Once we agree to work together on your strategic planning, we typically have a minimum of 3 weeks of pre-work, including interviews, a group survey, and document review. From there we'll facilitate your strategic planning process in person (2-3 days) or online (5 weeks). Once we complete your initial strategic planning process, we'll provide a written recap in 10 business days. After your strategic planning process is finished, our Implementation Plans run for 12 months or more.

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• Do you have someone that specializes in our industry?  Great question! Sometimes, yes.  That said, our process is industry agnostic as has been successful with dozens of different industries and companies big and small. We'll focus on making sure we understand important terminology and buzz words when going through the pre-work phase, so we can quickly get up to speed. 

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• What if we can't commit to a full strategic planning process?  If you aren't sure if your team is ready for a full strategic planning session, we do 3-hour Alignment sessions to have conversations about:

  • What's going well?

  • What's not going as well as we'd like?

  • Where are we going as a team?

  • What do we need to do next to get there?

  • These sessions are virtual, include pre-work, and are priced ala carte.

  • If you'd like to start here, you can contact us for a consultation.

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• Do you work with non-profits?  The majority of our sessions are with non-for-profit organizations. This includes local, regional, and national membership organizations, financial and education institutions, and mission-driven organizations. We believe for-profits should act more like not-for-profits, and not-for-profits should act more like for-profits. The better you do financially, the more you can do for your community. We want to help. 

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• What if my team is stubborn and loud?  Our facilitators are trained to deal with conflict, and to be able to lead challenging conversations with passionate people. Our approach to facilitation is by asking questions and having all participants reflect for themselves on the answers. We make a point of having equal airtime, and making sure everyone feels heard. That said, your team needs to be coachable, willing and open to participate in such a process.

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• What if my team has never done strategic planning before? Perfect! Whether you are a seasoned veteran of strategic planning, or this is the first time reflecting on your mission and core values, our process will make sure everyone on your team participates and gets the learning outcomes and deliverables from the strategic planning process. 

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• How do I get started? Fill out the form below to schedule a no obligation introduction call. We'll learn more about you and your needs, and we'll let you know if we think we're a great fit to support your team alignment and strategic plan implementation. That's it! So easy. Go on then. Schedule a no obligation introduction call.