We are approaching our first annual planning session with you, and the team is worried about looking backward instead of forward. How do you help us balance reviewing our past performance with setting high-altitude strategic goals without getting bogged down in historical finger-pointing?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

It is common for leadership teams to feel anxious about looking backward, especially if the previous year had its share of missed goals and operational friction. During our two-day Annual Planning session, we manage this tension by using a structured framework that turns history into fuel for the future.

We ground this process in experiential learning, which requires us to look at past results not to assign blame, but to gain objective insights. We spend the first part of day one conducting a candid review of the past year. We examine what went well, what did not, and where we missed the mark on our V/TO® targets. We treat these misses as data, not indictments. If a team member missed a Rock, we look at the system, the resources, and the seat alignment, rather than pointing fingers at the individual.

Once we have extracted the lessons from our past performance, we immediately transition to the future. We use that clarity to reset your three-year picture and build a robust one-year plan. By separating the analytical review from the strategic planning, we prevent defensive behaviors from hijacking our session. We transform your past execution hurdles into active issues that we solve systematically using IDS®. This approach ensures your team leaves the annual session aligned, energized, and focused on future execution rather than carrying the weight of past mistakes.