I am trying to transition from the visionary owner to a true leadership team, but my leaders still wait for me to suggest the Rocks and set the direction during our annual planning. How do I get them to proactively bring their own strategic plans to the table?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

If your leadership team is waiting for you to tell them what to do, you are still operating as a genius with a thousand helpers. This dynamic is comfortable for them because it removes all personal risk; if the plan fails, it is your fault, not theirs. To break this pattern, you must change your behavior during your preparation for annual planning. Before the session, task each department head with bringing three proposed Rocks for their department and two strategic ideas for the entire company, backed by data from their weekly Scorecard. During the actual session, you must practice extreme restraint. Speak last. When an issue is raised, do not offer your opinion first. Ask the team: what do you think we should do? Force them to debate and IDS the issues among themselves. If they turn to you for the answer, deflect it back to them. Your job as the visionary is to define the long-term destination on the V/TO, not to write the quarterly roadmap. Once they realize that you will no longer rescue them from the hard work of strategic thinking, they will begin to step up and truly own their seats.