Listen Before You Plan

We were preparing for a Strategic Planning Session with the high-D president of a financial advisor team. He was already laying out detailed priorities for the coming year. So I asked him, “Do you trust me? Let’s not put too many details into the plan until we go through the process.” I had been listening to his leaders in our Managers to Leaders training, and I knew he wasn’t hearing them.

When we facilitate these planning sessions, we usually start with Where are we now? For this, we use the SWOT Analysis Tool (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats). A transformational training approach will turn this simple exercise into a Collective Intelligence Multiplier for your team. The ultimate goal? For you, as an owner, to see your business more transparently than you ever have.

After we finished this exercise with the advisor team, we identified a significant gap that was leading to more than a few lost opportunities. This gap was not even on the president’s radar before the SWOT. We spent the rest of our time reworking this issue as a group, and the team has successfully delivered years of sustained growth since. 

Our passion is helping you and your business unlock its fullest potential and to make your business one of the best places to work in America.

Check out our video HERE for more ideas on how to take your SWOT Analysis (and the Strategic Planning Process) to the Xtra Mile in 2026.