Engaging your staff to think strategically, feel empowered, and be champions of implementation.
By: Hailey Post
Good strategic planning should establish a clear vision for an organization’s future. But what happens when that plan reaches the desks of the staff responsible for bringing it to life?
As part of our work with VisitNorfolk to develop their Strategic Plan, we engaged with the full staff from the very beginning, creating opportunities to contribute their perspectives and help shape the organization’s strategic direction. This included a dedicated half-day strategic staff session that brought the full team together to examine how departmental responsibilities align with recommendations from the Strategic Plan.
“It gave our team an opportunity to feel heard and, more importantly, created a sense of ownership and buy-in around where we are headed as an organization. That involvement got our staff excited and invested in the plan, which has carried through as we’ve moved into implementation and given them a real desire to see the work through. ”
– VisitNorfolk CEO Sarah Hughes
Through a series of facilitated exercises, VisitNorfolk staff worked in departmental teams to consider how their existing efforts supported the Strategic Plan’s recommendations. Each department documented its ideas on large sheets of paper, identifying what was working well, where priorities needed to shift, and what they might start or stop doing. Departments then presented their findings to the full staff before moving around the room to share ideas for cross-departmental collaboration. This approach gave every department a voice, encouraged connections beyond traditional departmental silos, and created opportunities for staff whose perspectives might not otherwise be heard.
The discussions strengthened shared ownership and purpose while providing leadership with valuable insight into where responsibilities needed clarification, priorities could shift, and additional support might be needed. The retreat findings helped inform a first-year implementation roadmap connecting departmental efforts with organization-wide priorities.
Meaningful staff engagement can help organizations:
Build shared ownership
Strengthen cross-departmental collaboration
Prioritize resources
Surface valuable perspectives
Create momentum for implementation
Successful strategic implementation requires engagement across an entire organization, bringing together departments with different responsibilities, priorities, and perspectives. Thoughtful staff engagement creates an opportunity to step beyond day-to-day demands, consider how departmental efforts contribute to broader strategic goals, and identify where to focus limited time and resources for the greatest impact.
From staff and board retreats to organizational assessments and implementation support, Clarity of Place offers services to help align your team and move your strategy forward. Let’s start the conversation.