A Worksheet For The Leader’s Business Conversations part of Doing It Right

41. A Worksheet For The Leader’s Business Conversations

Tool Preview:Guides you in developing a protocol for ongoing conversations with key decision makers in the company. Uses the OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) Loop to keep people focused on the game plan and brand promises as they pursue their day-to-day responsibilities. Keeps the focus practical, yet within the strategic context.

Introduction: Using the game plan and brand promises that the company holds out to the marketplace, the company’s leadership team meets to articulate key responsibilities and deliverables for each of them, and by extension, their functional areas.
Using Boyd’s OODA Loop, key issues in the areas of intelligence, problem solving and decision-making, as well as execution for each of those responsibilities are identified and become the primary reference points for an on-going conversation about the business. Of course, not every conversation needs to be this complete. However, building and using a disciplined lens for considering what’s happening, how events affect your scenarios, maintaining focus, problem solving and the flow of action cycles is important.
Without such discipline, conversations tend to become catch-as-catch-can. They become crisis oriented. They also slip into off-the-cuff exchanges that more often splinter focus than strengthen it. Those making reports can also use the worksheet to organize their debriefings in advance of sitting down with the boss.
The Leader’s Business Conversation Worksheet

Routine Business Debriefings

Areas of Focus Developments Issues/Decisions Actions

Note Key Area Among our competitors? Are there implications for our assumptions? Outline options vis-à-visour priorities

Among our customers? Are there implications for our plans? Align options against their required resources

Among our people or our resources? Are there implications for our operating methods? Clarify the purpose of proposed actions

Among our suppliers? Where do the threats and/or barriers come from? Identify key actors and the relationships required between them to produce results

Within the broad marketplace? Where do the opportunities lie? Identify key information needed by assigned actors

(Add other questions as appropriate for your business) (Add other questions as appropriate for your business) Recognize that the actors may have additional ideas once they are involved

Identify actors for each explicit action---include clear expectations for deadlines

(Add other questions as appropriate for your business)

Note Key Area Repeat process as above Repeat process as above Repeat process as above

Note Key Area Repeat process as above Repeat process as above Repeat process as above

Etc. Etc Etc Etc

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Areas of Focus	Developments	Issues/Decisions	Actions

Note Key Area	Among our competitors?	Are there implications for our assumptions?	Outline options vis-à-visour priorities
	Among our customers?	Are there implications for our plans?	Align options against their required resources
	Among our people or our resources?	Are there implications for our operating methods?	Clarify the purpose of proposed actions
	Among our suppliers?	Where do the threats and/or barriers come from?	Identify key actors and the relationships required between them to produce results
	Within the broad marketplace?	Where do the opportunities lie?	Identify key information needed by assigned actors
	(Add other questions as appropriate for your business)	(Add other questions as appropriate for your business)	Recognize that the actors may have additional ideas once they are involved
			Identify actors for each explicit action---include clear expectations for deadlines
			(Add other questions as appropriate for your business)
Note Key Area	Repeat process as above	Repeat process as above	Repeat process as above

Note Key Area	Repeat process as above	Repeat process as above	Repeat process as above
Etc.	Etc	Etc	Etc