Not all love is mushy and romantic…and sometimes the normal, Cupid’s arrow type of love won’t help you. Sometimes, you need tough love instead.
Tough love doesn’t always feel good, but it comes from a good place and is meant to help you. The frienemy approach to bank and credit union strategic planning is born out of tough love. Great plans don’t emerge from happy talk, hiding, staying quiet or beating around the bush. Great plans emerge from getting real and staying real.
So, you all need to be frienemies when you walk into the planning session. You love each other. You respect each other. But you’re going to be 100% honest too.
That’s the 30,000-foot view. Now, let’s go over some ground-level elements of planning like a frienemy:
- The 10% Rule – Remember that 100% honesty mentioned above? It’s a hard thing to do. Most people give up to 90% and then…they stop. They don’t say the last 10% out of fear it will cause conflict, humiliate them or not help anyone. Enter the 10% rule. Anytime a team member needs to say something thorny, they start with “here’s my 10%.” This rule empowers participants to speak while warning others to listen up, prepare for hard truths and engage respectfully with the comment.
- The GEPO Card – Beating around the bush. Beating a dead horse. (What’s with all these weird metaphors for addressing an issue for too long?) No matter what you call it, the truth is your team routinely talks strategic items to death. And if you’re not getting anywhere…you must move on. The GEPO card is a great tool to initiate a smooth transition. GEPO means “good enough, press on.” Each person in the room must possess a GEPO card. Whenever you get stuck in a conversational mire, present the GEPO card to end that conversation and move on to the next topic.
- Caging the HIPPO – This is for when you bring the senior leaders and Board on a safari for the bank or credit union strategic planning session…just kidding of course! The HIPPO is the “highest paid person’s opinion.” And it easily intimidates other people into silence. You often have a room of yes-men and yes-women quietly agreeing with whatever the biggest influencer says (whether that influencer wants it or not). Mandatory contributions are the easiest way to solve this problem. Everyone must talk. No wallflowers. Combined with the 10% rule, mandatory contributions create real magic.
- A Fearless Facilitator – Your bank or credit union strategic planning facilitator needs guts. They must enforce the frienemy rules while being unafraid to step into the breach and challenge the group. Are you ready to do this? It’s hard (but not impossible) for staff members to fill this role. An outside facilitator can be your frienemy without fear of internal politics or relational consequences. They’re your shield. They’ll take the proverbial rotten tomatoes tossed across the room. If you can’t fill this role, enlist someone who can. You’ll be pleased with the results.
It's time to throw out the Pollyanna planning sessions. Introduce some tough love into your bank or credit union strategic planning process to create something truly honest and effective. Meet your frienemy facilitator and secure your strategic planning session dates today.
