Avid sports fans start every season full of optimism about their team’s prospects, regardless of the previous season’s results. Cleveland Indians fans, despite a championship drought of 72 years, believe each baseball season brings an opportunity to win the World Series. And during their epic run of eight consecutive NBA titles from 1959 to 1966, the Boston Celtics were always working to one-up their previous season’s achievements. 

While business is not a game, it still has a “season” – the calendar year from January to December. Like a sports team, the beginning of each new year is a psychological reset for leaders and team members. It’s a time to reflect on past performance and plan adjustments to improve in the upcoming year. 

Since 2020 is a year most organizations would like to forget, it’s essential to leverage the new year’s optimism to build an Annual Plan. The four objectives of the Annual Reset process are the following:

1. Reflection – What are the lessons learned from the past year?
2. Understanding – What is the organization’s current state?
3. Vision – What does the organization look like at the end of next year?
4. Alignment – How do we align and motivate the team to get there?

Whether you facilitate the process internally or leverage an outside professional like Simons.Coach, it’s critical to follow a well-thought-out strategy for building the Annual Plan. This guide is available in two forms:

1. Summary View – A short version with a high-level overview of the Annual Reset’s four steps. It is for leaders that need a quick reminder or outline of the process. If required, each major step has a link to the detailed instructions in the Comprehensive Guide.
2. Comprehensive Guide – A detailed guide with instructions for facilitating every step of the Annual Reset. This version is for leaders new to the process or interested in self-facilitating the Annual Reset. 

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Annual Reset Process: Summary

The Annual Reset process will build an organization’s Annual Plan through four steps: Reflect, Understanding, Vision, and Alignment – to create an organization’s Annual Plan. When you want more detail, follow the links to read the directions for each activity. 

Additional guidance about the Annual Reset process includes “Brainstorming Essentials,” “The Language of Annual Planning,” “Meeting Logistics,” and “Recommended Agendas.”

Reflection

The first step of Annual Planning is to answer the question, “What are the lessons learned from the past year?” By reflecting on the past year’s performance, the team can apply lessons learned in the new year. 

The three exercises of Reflection are the following:

1. Start/Stop/Keep (SSK) – A simple, effective, and quick activity to allow all participants to share their perspective of the past year by answering the three questions, “What is one thing the organization should Start/Stop/Keep doing next year?” In addition to a great opening exercise to the day, it is a good homework assignment for participants to prepare for the Annual Reset mentally.
2. Leadership Team Performance – Since the leadership team’s execution is critical to the organization’s success, discuss how the leadership team can improve during the next year. The use of an online assessment tool can simplify this activity and make it impactful. 
3. Last Year’s Annual Targets and Key Initiatives – If an Annual Plan exists, review and discuss what worked and what didn’t work with the Annual Planning process last year. 

During every step of the Reflection phase, brainstorm possible priorities the organization could achieve next year. These ideas are used later in the process.

Understanding

The second step of the process is to answer, “What is the organization’s current state?” Only by having a clear internal and external view of the organization can decisions be made for next year’s Annual Plan. The four Understanding activities are as follows:

1. Strategic Foundation – Review the organization’s guiding strategy, typically composed of Purpose, Core Values, BHAG, Value Engine, and Key Differentiators. While changes to these principles are uncommon, it’s critical to align the Annual Plan with the company’s core strategy.
2. External Feedback – An organization’s goal is to serve its customers, review applicable quantitative and qualitative external feedback for obstacles and opportunities. 
3. Internal Feedback – As important as understanding the customer’s perspective is examining the team’s current state. Review recent quantitative and qualitative feedback from team members. 
4. SWOT – The most powerful tool of the Annual Reset process is a comprehensive analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. By building a clear internal and external view of the organization, the team can precisely identify possible Annual Plan priorities. Attendees should come prepared to present their version of the SWOT. If a company could only do one activity for Annual Planning, it should be the SWOT.

At each step of the Understanding phase, the team will brainstorm possible priorities for next year.

Vision

After capturing lessons learned from last year and building a view of the organization’s current state, it’s time to identify the goals and priorities for next year. The three activities of the Vision step are as follows:

1. Long-Range Targets and Strategic Objectives –Most significant changes to an organization’s strategy or structure will take more than a year, so review, update, and align the organization’s three-year vision based on the Reflect and Understanding deliverables.
2. Annual Targets and Key Initiatives – Following the refinement of the long-range plan, define the Targets and Key Initiatives for next year. These decisions are the most significant of the process. Ensure that the goals are achievable based on the current team and resources available. 
3. Accountability and the Plan – Having defined the goals for next year, the team assigns leaders to be accountable for achieving the Key Initiatives. Build a detailed plan for each Key Initiative and get buy-in from all participants. 

Alignment

The Vision step is the primary deliverable of the Annual Reset process, but team members who do not attend the meeting must also understand their role in the Annual Plan. The Alignment activities are as follows:

1. Define an Annual Theme – The right title, acronym, or play on words will make an Annual Plan memorable and engaging. Many organizations also tie celebrations or rewards to achieving critical milestones of the Annual Plan.   
2. Communication Plan – Just like the proverbial tree falling in the forest, if team members are unaware of the Annual Plan, they won’t know their role in executing the plan. The final step of the process is to create a communication plan with critical messages and delivery deadlines.  

The annual reset is an essential rhythm for every organization, especially after a year like 2020. Following the four steps of Reflection, Understanding, Vision, and Alignment will prepare your organization for 2021. And remember, next year is another opportunity for your team to be champions.

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Annual Reset Process: Comprehensive Guide

The following step-by-step guide will allow any organization to self-facilitate the Annual Planning process. After reviewing the activities of all four steps, use the recommended one-day, two-day, or half-day agendas to build a custom approach to your organization’s Annual Reset. 

Brainstorming Essentials

Every step of the Annual Reset process will analyze the organization from different perspectives. While the various viewpoints may often lead to the same conclusions, it’s essential to avoid blindspots. 

An essential action at almost every step of the process is brainstorming possible Key Initiatives for the Annual Plan. Capture the ideas on a whiteboard, easel pad, or Post-It Notes. Remind the participants that the purpose is to collect numerous ideas. There are no bad ideas when brainstorming.

If an idea is similar to a previous suggestion, go ahead and capture it again. When multiple like-minded concepts are captured numerous times throughout the process, it indicates that direction is likely important.

The Language of Annual Planning

The vocabulary of the Annual Planning process varies between authors, facilitators, and business systems. For clarity, the following are the definitions of the key terms in the planning process described below:

• Strategic Objectives – Meaningful organizational changes in structure, systems, or capabilities that often require multiple years to implement and significant resources. They are associated with a Long-Range Vision.
• Key Initiatives – Major changes to an organization’s structure, systems, or capabilities that take approximately one year to implement. They are associated with the Annual Plan.
• Priorities – Clearly defined improvements or changes to perform in an organization — a commonly used term to describe actions completed during a quarter. 
• Targets – Measurable and clearly defined metrics that the organization aims to achieve by a specific deadline. Long-range Targets’ timeframe is typically three years, Annual Targets are one year, and Quarterly Targets are three months. Targets are often financial, people-based, or process metrics — anything measured with a number. 

Reflection – What are the lessons learned from the past year?

Three-time Super Bowl winner Bill Walsh said, “The score takes care of itself.” This counterintuitive wisdom also applies to successful businesses. While it’s necessary to set goals, like winning the Super Bowl, the act of setting a goal does nothing to accomplish the goal. 

Great teams execute consistently based on repeatable systems and processes, not goal-setting. Annual Planning should capture lessons learned from the previous year to refine your company’s systems and processes. What worked? And what needs improvement? Here are three Reflection exercises to complete a lessons learned analysis:

A great tool to start the Annual Planning meeting is the Start/Stop/Keep (SSK) exercise. Have each attendee prepare before the meeting their answer to each of the following three questions:

1. What is one thing the organization should START doing next year?
2. What is one thing the organization should STOP doing next year?
3. What is one thing the organization should KEEP doing next year?

To open the Annual Planning meeting, begin with the first question, and have each attendee share their “Start.” Allow time for questions or clarifications from other attendees. After sharing all the “Starts,” repeat the process with sharing of the “Stops.” And finally, each person shares their “Keep.” 

The SSK exercise is a simple way to get everyone involved in the meeting and to share their views on the past year. It’s vital to have attendees prepare their responses ahead of time to promote honest and individual feedback. 

After presenting and discussing the responses, the exercise’s deliverable is to brainstorm possible actions or priorities that the organization needs to complete next year based on the SSK exercise. Ask each attendee to brainstorm possible priorities the organization could complete next year. Then capture these ideas on a whiteboard, easel pad, or Post-It Notes. The brainstorm ideas are used later in the Annual Planning process. 

Leadership Team Performance

The saying, “the fish rots from the head down,” aptly describes the importance of a healthy leadership team in an organization. The Annual Reset is an excellent time to reflect on the performance and effectiveness of the leadership team. If the organization’s head is ‘rotting,’ it is difficult, if not impossible, to accomplish any goals the organization sets for next year. 

An exercise to gauge the leadership team’s health is to ask each attendee to rate on a scale of zero to ten, “How effective has the leadership team been during the past year?” A rating of zero is awful, and a score of ten is outstanding. To avoid group think, have each person write their score down before sharing it with the team?

After writing down their scores, ask each attendee the follow-up question, “What’s the most important thing the leadership team should do next year to improve your rating?” Again, have each person write down their idea.

Go around the room and have each person share their rating and suggested improvement for next year. Capture the potential action items and complete the exercise by having the group agree to a list of leadership team improvements for next year.

An optional tool to measure the leadership team’s effectiveness is the Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team assessment. Based on Pat Lencioni’s book, “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable,” the assessment provides a detailed quantitative evaluation of the leadership team with specific recommendations based on the scores. Contact Simons.Coach to start your Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team assessment.

Last Year’s Annual Targets and Key Initiatives

Since the Annual Planning process happens yearly, take the time to learn what worked and what didn’t work based on last year’s Annual Targets and Key Initiatives. 

Start with a review of the Annual Targets the organization set for last year. For each Target, review if the organization hit or missed the Target. And then discuss why? At the end of the Target review, ask the question, “Did we measure the right Targets?” It’s common for an organization to evolve the Targets it tracks over time. 

Continue reflecting on last year by discussing the Key Initiatives set at the beginning of the year. Answer the following questions for each Key Initiative:

1. Did we accomplish the desired results of the Key Initiative? If not, why?
2. What worked about the process?
3. What would we do differently based on our experience?
4. Do we need to continue the Key Initiative next year? If yes, what precisely will we accomplish in the next year? (Add the Key Initiative to the brainstorm list and capture it on a whiteboard, easel pad, or Post-It Notes.) 

If you only have time to complete one of the three Reflection exercises, reviewing last year’s Targets and Key Initiatives is your priority. If the organization did not set Targets or Key Initiatives for the previous year, focus on reviewing financial performance.

Understanding – What is the organization’s current state?

Before determining where the organization will go next year, it’s essential to understand the organization’s current state. Too often, people want to skip to the next step of imagining where the organization could go. But first, you must have a clear view of the organization’s situation from an internal and external perspective.

Strategic Foundation

The understanding phase starts with revisiting the core principles of the organization, the Strategic Foundation. These elements define who you are as an organization. They include Purpose, Core Values, BHAG, Value Engine, and Key Differentiators. For each foundational item, discuss their status in the organization:

• Purpose – Does the Purpose still accurately capture why the organization exists? Does it connect with people at a deep, emotional level? An organization’s Purpose rarely changes, but it’s essential to review annually.
• Core Values – Are the Core Values alive in the organization? Are they part of the daily language? And just as important, do they drive team members’ behaviors? Similar to Purpose, the Core Values rarely change, but they are essential to a healthy culture. If the Core Values are not driving HR and management decisions, it may be time to revisit the Actions that drive their usage.
• Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) – How is the organization progressing to accomplish the BHAG? Is the BHAG still aligned with the Purpose and acting as a catalytic mechanism for behaviors?
• Value Engine – Does the Value Engine still reflect the fundamental driver of profitability? And, do all team members know how they impact the Value Engine?
• Key Differentiators – Do the Key Differentiators still matter to the customers? Do they still set the company apart from the competition? And, does the organization deliver on the Key Differentiators? Being the primary strategy behind the organization’s go-to-market efforts, the Key Differentiators deserve significant attention during the Annual Reset.

After reviewing the Strategic Foundation, brainstorm a list of possible Key Initiatives next year to strengthen the organization’s foundation. Capture these ideas on a whiteboard, easel pad, or Post-It Notes. 

External Feedback

When understanding the organization’s current state, it’s essential to consider the view from the customers’ perspective. Review existing quantitative and qualitative data from your customers and end-users to identify opportunities and obstacles. 

If the organization does not have structured or timely customer feedback, assign a homework assignment to each attendee to call a small representation of customers before the annual reset. Each call is to determine how the organization is doing from the customer’s perspective? At the meeting, have each attendee share the insights from their research.  

Based on the external feedback discussion, brainstorm a list of possible Key Initiatives the organization could accomplish next year.

Internal Feedback

As significant as customer feedback, it’s critical to understand the current state of the culture. Review and discuss relevant quantitative and qualitative feedback from team members to identify opportunities and obstacles.

If the organization does not have structured or timely team member feedback, assign a homework assignment to each attendee to meet with a small sample of team members before the annual reset. Each discussion’s primary goal is to determine how the organization is doing from the team members’ perspective? At the meeting, have each attendee share the insights from their sessions.  

Based on the internal feedback discussion, brainstorm a list of possible Key Initiatives the organization could accomplish next year.

SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats)

The definitive tool of Annual Planning is the SWOT analysis. Done correctly, the SWOT builds a comprehensive view of the organization from both internal and external perspectives. If you only have time for one exercise in the Understanding section, complete the SWOT. 

A properly completed SWOT analysis will answer the following questions:

It’s important to note that Strengths and Weaknesses are an internal view of the organization. And Opportunities and Threats are an external view of the organization. 

Before the meeting, have each participant prepare a SWOT analysis of the organization. To remind them how to complete a SWOT analysis, have them read the article, “Avoiding Disruption: What do you know for sure that just ain’t so?” Then they will complete the SWOT form on the last page of the article. 

At the meeting, start with Strengths and have each attendee share their responses. As a team, discuss, identify, and agree upon the top five items in order of importance. Then repeat the exercise for each of the remaining SWOT elements. 

After capturing five prioritized and detailed answers for each SWOT element, brainstorm a list of possible Key Initiatives the organization could accomplish next year. Capture these ideas on a whiteboard, easel pad, or Post-It Notes. 

Vision – What does the organization look like at the end of next year?

Building on the understanding of the organization’s current state, the next step of the annual reset is to establish the destination – a clear and actionable vision of what the organization will look like at the end of next year. Like solving a jigsaw puzzle, it’s easier to complete a plan if you have a clear picture of the result. 

As the team builds the vision for next year, the language should accurately represent the end-state result instead of aspirational descriptions. For example, “New West-coast office delivering $10M in contribution margin” is a better description than “Plan, locate, and launch a West-coast office.” 

Long-Range Targets and Strategic Objectives

If the organization is working to achieve a previously defined long-range plan, review the progress on achieving those Targets and Strategic Objectives. It’s common with long-range goals to make mid-course adjustments as new information becomes available. These adjustments are necessary to keep the goals relevant. 

If the organization does not have a long-range plan, define the organization’s vision in three years. Start with setting stretch Targets for the organization to achieve. Remember that humans tend to overestimate what can be done in a year and underestimate what can be done in ten years. Setting long-range Targets is an opportunity to push outside the team’s comfort zone. Setting lofty targets also forces the team to get creative on how to achieve them.

With the long-range Targets set, brainstorm the significant, multi-year organizational changes needed to accomplish those Targets. Capture these ideas as possible Strategic Objectives. Finally, review the SWOT for priorities that will take more than one year to complete. These SWOT items can also become the Strategic Objectives of the long-range vision. 

Based on the brainstorming of ideas above, agree on the Strategic Objectives to accomplish over the next three years. Typically, the Strategic Objectives fall into two categories: 

1. Scaling – Doing more of something the organization is doing today (e.g., “Double revenue”)
2. Creating – Building the skills and processes to do something completely new (e.g., “New product line launched and generating $10M of contribution margin”)

For each Strategic Objective, build a list of annual milestones – what will the organization accomplish each year of the next three years? Add the next year’s milestone for each Strategic Objective to the brainstorm list of possible Key Initiatives. Capture them on a whiteboard, easel pad, or Post-It Notes.

Annual Targets and Key Initiatives

Building on the Targets defined in the long-range planning step above, determine next year’s Annual Targets. These are the metrics the organization is forecasting to achieve next year. They should be in alignment with the long-range Targets. 

Based on the Annual Targets set, brainstorm any possible Key Initiatives the organization could accomplish next year to ensure we hit the Targets. Capture the ideas on a whiteboard, easel pad, or Post-It Notes.

It’s finally time to define the Key Initiatives for next year. Using the brainstorming ideas captured during the meeting, find common themes and priorities to determine the three to five most critical Key Initiatives for the organization to complete next year. 

A note of caution, it’s natural for teams to be optimistic and aim for more than five Key Initiatives. But it’s more effective to accomplish three priorities fully completed instead of ten priorities partially completed. 

The step of determining the Key Initiatives is the most important of the annual planning process. Take time to discuss the resources (time, budget, and people) needed to accomplish each Key Initiative. The size and effectiveness of the team will influence the amount of work to tackle. If it’s a team’s first time to create an Annual Plan, err on the side of caution and take on fewer and smaller priorities.

Accountability and Annual Plan

With the Key Initiatives defined, agree upon a leader in the room to manage each Key Initiative. The leader does not do all of the work, but they build and operate the plan. The leader is also responsible for reporting on progress quarterly. Ideally, no team member has to lead multiple Key Initiatives. 

These leaders will now define the deliverables of the Key Initiative and build out a quarter-by-quarter plan. Download the Simons.Coach Key Initiative Planning Tool to create a quarter-by-quarter plan. 

For large teams, consider assigning participants into breakout groups by Key Initiative. Each group will work together to determine the quarterly accomplishments needed to finish the Key Initiative by the end of the year. Time permitting, each breakout group will present their plan to the leadership team for feedback. The Key Initiative plans are the guide for the quarterly planning meetings for the rest of the year.

Alignment – How do we align and motivate the team to get there?

The last step of the Annual Reset process is to create a communication strategy. It’s essential to get everyone in the organization aligned with the vision for next year. Unfortunately, leadership teams’ often fail to communicate the plan to the entire team after doing all the hard work. The following steps will help avoid this mistake:

Annual Theme

A clear and concise theme for the year makes it simple to promote and remember the annual plan. Acronyms, cultural references, or a play on words make a theme memorable. For example, “Accelerate To 8,000 RPM’s To Lap The Competition!” The number 8,000 represents the annual target for new clients. RPM is an acronym for the three Key Initiatives: Raving Customers Deliver 1,000 Referrals, Priority Lane Support Team Response In Under An Hour, and Marketing Creates 10,000 Leads. The communication materials would feature racing imagery and language to play off the “driving” analogy.

For large groups, divide into a few breakout groups of 4-6 people to brainstorm theme ideas separately. The smaller groups promote creativity and create a sense of competition. Have each group present their ideas using a single piece of easel pad paper. 

Many organizations “gamify” the annual theme by creating celebrations and rewards for achieving specific milestones. An outstanding resource to learn more about business gamification is Jack Stack’s book, “The Great Game of Business: The Only Sensible Way to Run a Company.”

It’s common to leverage a company’s marketing department to assist in building a theme. But, I find it’s a fun exercise to brainstorm creative concepts for an annual theme at the end of an exhausting planning process. It also allows the leadership team to have more buy-in with the annual plan.

Communication Plan

A best practice for all meetings is to finish with an agreed-upon list of decisions, talking points, and next steps. It’s also an excellent habit to summarize the day’s deliverables to determine what to communicate to the entire organization, how to share it, and when to deliver it. 

The best way to complete this step is to review the notes from the day, often found on the whiteboard, easel pads, and Post-It Notes in the room, then highlight the key elements to communicate to the team. Build a summary of these points and distribute them to the attendees following the meeting. Along with the talking points include any action items, critical deadlines, and parking lot issues. 

Also, remind the meeting participants of any confidential information or discussions that should not be shared. The Annual Reset covers a lot of sensitive business information.

Meeting Logistics

The Annual Reset meeting is more effective when held at an offsite location. A location outside the office will reduce distractions and create a safe environment for attendees to participate. It will also signal the importance of the meeting. 

A professional facilitator is useful for any meeting with strategic significance, especially with larger groups or new teams. The most significant benefit of an outside facilitator is that everyone can focus on participating in the discussions instead of managing the meeting.

The other vital logistics decisions are the room’s feel, size, and setup. I find that having a room with windows is soothing for lengthy meetings. Also, consider the lighting and temperature. If a room is uncomfortable, it will hinder the success of a meeting. 

The size of the room is directly subject to the number of participants. The key is for attendees not to feel crowded (especially during COVID) but still feel connected. Another way to promote connection is by having a U-shaped table setup. Being able to see each person makes for a more effective meeting. 

I prefer to capture ideas and decisions on large 25×30 Easel Pads with self-adhesive and large 8×6 Post-It Notes. Both are easy to move and large enough to be visible across a big room. Also, multiple team members can capture ideas simultaneously on the Post-It Notes and then organize them in one location. 

If a physical meeting is not possible, a remote online session can also follow the same agendas and exercises. The primary difference is the need for a virtual whiteboard tool like Miro.com or even a shared spreadsheet. Additionally, online meetings tend to be more exhausting, so take a long lunch break. I highly recommend each person keeping their video camera on at all times to create connection and remove distractions. 

Recommended Agendas

The meeting’s length will vary depending on the team’s size and the number of agenda items to complete. At a minimum, I recommend an 8-hour session. For larger teams or organizations with numerous opportunities or obstacles, plan on two full days to complete the annual rest. 

When necessary, an organization can complete a short version of the Annual Reset in a half-day session. The shortened schedule is the bare minimum to select the direction for next year. The details of the Annual Plan are built during follow up meetings.

During any lengthy meeting, plan on breaks at least every 90 minutes. Based on facilitating thousands of meetings, I believe the length of an adequate break is 15 minutes. 

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One Day, 8-Hour Annual Reset Agenda

The following is a recommended agenda for most one-day Annual Reset meetings:

8:00 am – 8:15 am Opening (Welcome, Agenda, and Ground Rules)

8:15 am – 8:45 am Start/Stop/Keep

8:45 am – 9:15 am Leadership Team Performance

9:15 am – 9:30 am Break

9:30 am – 10:00 am Last Year’s Targets and Key Initiatives

10:00 am – 10:15 am Strategic Foundation

10:15 am – 10:30 am External Feedback

10:30 am – 10:45 am Internal Feedback

10:45 am – 11:00 am Break

11:00 am – 12:00 pm SWOT

12:00 pm – 12:45 pm Lunch

12:45 pm – 2:15 pm Long-Range Targets & Strategic Objectives

2:15 pm – 2:30 pm Break

2:30 pm – 3:00 pm Annual Targets & Key Initiatives

3:00 pm – 3:45 pm Accountability and Annual Plan

3:45 pm – 4:00 pm Break

4:00 pm – 4:30 pm Annual Theme

4:30 pm – 4:50 pm Communication Plan

4:50 pm – 5:000 pm Wrap-Up

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Two-Day Annual Reset Agenda

The following is a recommended agenda for a two-day Annual Reset meeting:

DAY 1

8:00 am – 8:15 am Opening (Welcome, Agenda, and Ground Rules)

8:15 am – 8:30 am Team Building Exercise [Optional]

8:30 am – 9:415 am Start/Stop/Keep

9:15 am – 9:30 am Break

9:30 am – 10:00 am Leadership Team Performance

10:00 am – 10:30 am Last Year’s Targets and Key Initiatives

10:30 am – 10:45 am Break

10:45 am – 11:45 am Strategic Foundation

11:45 am – 12:45 pm Lunch

12:45 pm – 1:30 pm External Feedback

1:30 pm – 2:00 pm Internal Feedback

2:00 pm – 2:15 pm Break

2:15 pm – 3:45 pm SWOT

3:45 pm – 4:00 pm Break

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm Flex Time, Team Building, or Continuing Eduaction [Optional]

DAY 2

8:00 am – 9:15 am Opening (Agenda, and Ground Rules)

Long-Range Targets & Strategic Objectives

9:15 am – 9:30 am Break

9:30 am – 10:45 am Annual Targets & Key Initiatives

10:45 am – 11:00 am Break

11:00 am – 11:45 am Accountability and Annual Plan – Part 1 (Assign Leaders and Breakout Groups)

11:45 am – 12:30 pm Lunch

12:30 pm – 1:30 pm Accountability and Annual Plan – Part 2 (Breakout Groups)

1:30 pm – 1:45 pm Break

1:45 pm – 2:30 pm Accountability and Annual Plan – Part 3 (Presentation from Breakout Groups)

2:30 pm – 3:15 pm Annual Theme

3:15 pm – 3:30 pm Break

3:30 pm – 4:50 pm Communication Plan

4:50 pm – 5:00 pm Wrap-Up

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Half-Day Annual Reset Agenda

When it is not possible to dedicate the necessary time for the Annual Reset process, follow this bare minimum agenda:

8:00 am – 8:15 am Opening (Welcome, Agenda, and Ground Rules)

8:15 am – 9:00 am Last Year’s Targets and Key Initiatives

9:00 am – 9:15 am Break

9:15 am – 10:15 am SWOT

10:15 am – 10:30 am Break

10:30 am – 11:15 pm Annual Targets & Key Initiatives

11:15 am – 11:50 pm Accountability and Annual Plan (Assign Leaders and Teams)

11:50 am – 12:00 pm Wrap up

* Note: Schedule follow up meetings to create the Key Initiative plans, theme, and communication plans.

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Prep Work for Annual Reset Meeting

The prep work to complete before the meeting includes the following:

• Start/Stop/Keep Exercise
• [Optional] The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team assessment
• Updated metrics and progress on last year’s Annual Targets and Key Initiatives
• Collect external feedback from customers and users
• Collect internal feedback from team members
• Updated metrics and progress on Long-range Targets and Strategic Objectives

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Final Thoughts

The annual reset is an essential rhythm for every organization, especially after a year like 2020. Following the four steps of Reflection, Understanding, Vision, and Alignment will prepare your organization for 2021. And remember, next year is another opportunity for your team to be champions.

Stay focused.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at rob@simons.coach.

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Rob Simons is a coach, facilitator, and storyteller – a unique fusion of skills that makes him uniquely equipped to coach entrepreneurs and business leaders to scale organizations. Using the Rockefeller Habits as his foundation, Rob has successfully trained hundreds of clients to build a culture of purpose, alignment, and accountability in organizations across various industries. Contact Rob at rob@simons.coach or 210-845-2782.