We are preparing for our first annual planning session. How is this session different from our quarterly meetings, and how do we prepare our team for the intense two day process?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

An annual planning session is a different beast compared to your quarterly meetings. While a quarterly meeting is a one day focus on execution and course correction for the next ninety days, your annual session is a two day deep dive. It is designed to help you work on the business at the highest level, reset your vision, and build a cohesive plan for the entire upcoming year.

The first day of your annual session is focused on looking back and looking forward. You will review the past year, assess your team health, and update your V/TO®, including your three year picture and your one year plan. The second day is about setting your budget, establishing your corporate and individual Rocks for the first quarter, and resolving the biggest, most complex issues on your long term issues list.

To prepare your team, do not assign heavy homework. Instead, ask each leader to complete three simple tasks. First, review prior year numbers and performance. Second, spend time thinking about the company biggest opportunities and threats for the coming year. Third, review their personal capacity and seat on the Accountability Chart™. Let them know they need to arrive rest focused and ready for high level strategic alignment. Working with a Professional EOS Implementer® during this process is critical to ensure you do not get bogged down in operational details.