They're justified, and they're ancient With still no master plan

Well, it has been the longest time during lockdown, and don't we all know (and feel) it. As we emerge, changed and challenged but hopefully charged to reclaim what we treasure the most, our minds inevitably turn to 'what next?' I have been pondering plans just as much as the organisations who have been contacting me for support recently. Is it 'back to before', 'time for something new' or perhaps more realistically, 'what are we really doing here'? 

One particular organisation I am working with are looking for a strategy. A plan. A map of where they will be heading next. They have been adapting, growing and changing so much during lockdown that they feel they need to press pause, reflect a little, and for the first time ever, develop a plan for the future.

The experience of working with them has made my mind flood with reflections on planning, processes, ideas and outcomes. They have done incredibly well so far without a plan. Unbelievably so. They have survived (so far) during lockdown, growing their team significantly as a result of securing additional funding. All without a plan. On reflection, perhaps because they didn't have one? Hands up who has stuck their 'plan' anyway during lockdown? Now, they are grappling with the notion of planning, structuring ideas, prioritising next steps, figuring out who they really are as an organisation, and ultimately where they hope to be in that magical 'five years time'... 

I know they will get there. I know I am able to help them. I know they will flourish. Part of me, however, wonders if they could just discover that special ingredient which has meant 'success' for them this far, they would be able to unlock the plan that they have already developed. The plan that's not written down. No flip-charts. No post-its. No process. Just success. 

My trick while working with them is to help them realise this, and build it into their new 'plan' while I am at it. It's not easy. It's not standard. It's not the usual way... Neither are they though. If you think you need some help to do something differently, then maybe I can help. Get in touch.