I spent the last two days facilitating a strategic planning retreat with an educational client. There was lots of the dynamic conversation about the organization’s future. By chance, the president of the regional association representing educational institutions was in-town and attended the wrap-up session.

To gain a fresh perspective from an expert in the field has been transformative for the school’s planning efforts. To have an individual who could help focus the planning process was remarkable. One of the keys for the school in the planning effort was to be intentional in establishing its initiatives and not just select a goals that served as placeholders. The language that was being proposed for one of the outcomes bordered on cliche and the association president quickly helped us define the true intention.

Who could you invite to your planning sessions who can ask the critical questions? Who tests if you are being intentional? How do you avoid cliche language in your goals?