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Strategy planning is an ongoing process of defining organizational direction, long-term goals, creating specific plans, implementing those plans, and evaluating results. It involves a series of steps that enables an organization to define its vision, mission, and values, assess its current situation, identify opportunities and threats, and create a plan for achieving its objectives. Despite its importance, why so many organizations fail to recognize strategic planning's value? Here are some eye-opening statistics: Did you know that 85% of leadership teams spend less than one hour per month on strategy, and 50% spend no time at all on strategy? (Harvard Business Review, 2005). Some experts say that the vast majority of companies are failing to strategize at all. 61% of executives say they weren’t prepared for strategic challenges upon appointment to senior leadership roles. These leaders fail because they lack depth in their competitive context. Their focus is on internal issues: resolving conflicts, reconciling budgets, managing performance. Consequently, they pay less attention to external strategic issues like competitor moves, customer needs, or technology trends. ( HBR ) They often view it as a time-consuming and costly process that distracts them from their day-to-day activities. However, the truth is that strategic planning is crucial for any organization's survival and growth , and involving leaders in the process is essential. Benefits of strategic planning Strategic planning has numerous benefits for organizations, including: 1. Clear Direction. A strategic plan provides clear direction for the organization, defining its vision, mission, and values, and setting specific goals and objectives. This clarity of purpose helps employees focus on what matters most. “Only 22% of employees feel that leaders have a clear direction for the organization". ( Gallup 2022 ) 2. Decision making. A strategic plan provides a framework for making decisions that align with organization objectives. It helps leaders prioritize initiatives and the right kind of projects and allocate resources effectively. Are you measuring how well your projects fit your business objectives? 3. Enhanced communication. A strategic plan helps leaders communicate their vision, goals, and objectives to employees, stakeholders, and customers. This communication fosters a shared understanding of the organization's priorities, leading to increased collaboration and engagement. These ones are shocking: Only 5% of employees know and/or understand their company’s strategy." (Harvard Business Review, 2005) Only 40% of employees strongly feel their manager understands their organization’s strategy or goals. (Accenture) 67% of employees do not understand their role when the growth initiatives are launched. (Gartner). 4. Feedback how everyone is going. The process promotes the open and creative exchange of ideas, including resolving disputes and working out inclusive solutions. 5. Employees re-engagement. Strategy planning workshops when facilitated well can help employees re-engage with priorities and purpose. Employee's disengagement is skyrocketing. Still about 70% of employees are disengaged. ( Gallup ). Understanding Strategic Planning vs. Business Planning: While strategic planning and business planning share similar goals, they differ in focus and scope. A strategic plan outlines the overall direction, goals, and objectives of your organization, typically covering a longer time frame. It requires a deep analysis of internal and external factors, understanding market dynamics, group dynamics and evaluating competitive landscapes. B usiness planning, on the other hand, zooms in on operational details and involve implementing the plan, allocating the resources, monitoring the progress, such as financial projections, marketing strategies, and day-to-day activities. Strategic planning provides the strategic framework within which business planning can take place, ensuring that short-term actions align with long-term objectives Effective leaders recognize that both strategy development and execution are vital and must be given equal attention to achieve desired outcomes. Myths About Strategic Planning Despite its benefits, strategic planning myths hinder its adoption. Some of these myths include: 1. Strategic Planning is an exclusive one-off event for the few by the few. Not true. Strategic planning to work effectively requires people from all parts of the business sharing different ideas and perspectives. It must be owned by all leaders and the push can be from the top, from the bottom and across the company. 2. Strategic Planning is time-consuming. While developing a strategic plan takes time and effort, the benefits outweigh the costs. Moreover, a well-crafted plan can save time and resources in the long run. You can contact us and request an agenda for a 1 day or 2 day strategic planning workshop. 3. Strategic Planning is costly. Many organizations view strategic planning as an expensive process that requires outside consultants. However, with the right approach, organizations can develop a strategic plan with minimal costs and additional benefits such as: clarity of goals and objectives, alignment, reengaged staff, rejuvenated staff, prioritized initiatives etc.; so it’s never just about the plan. 4. Strategic Planning is a one-time activity. Strategic planning is not a one-time event at the start of the year; it's an ongoing process that requires regular review and adjustment. Organizations that view it as a one-time activity often fail to achieve their long-term goals. How Leaders Can Get Involved To get involved in the planning process, leaders can: 1. Set the tone. Leaders must create a culture that values strategic planning and encourages employee involvement. By setting the tone, they can foster a collaborative environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their ideas. 2. Define the vision. Leaders must be fully involved in the organization's vision, mission, and values definition. They kick off this process by communicating clearly the end goals and expectations and then ensuring everyone is onboard. 3. Set goals and objectives. Leaders must ensure specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound objectives and objectives are set. This will help the organization focus its resources on the most critical initiatives and achieve its long-term goals. How a facilitator can help A facilitator can help organizations develop their strategic plan by guiding them through the planning process. A facilitator brings a neutral perspective, facilitates discussions, encourages participation from all stakeholders, and helps resolve conflicts. They ensure that the planning process remains focused, objective, and inclusive. By leveraging facilitator expertise, leaders can create an environment that encourages open communication, creativity, and collaboration among team members. A facilitator can also help organizations avoid common pitfalls, such as groupthink and analysis paralysis. This will ensure that everyone's ideas are heard and considered. Watch this short video to learn how facilitated strategic planning can help you. Contact us now for a free 1h no obligation discovery call. What’s one tangible change you can make now to reach your strategic goals? Take control of your next strategic planning workshop with Wilson Biz Consulting. Book a call now for 1h free no obligation discovery call. #strategicplanning #leadership

If you are a business leader involved in initiating, developing, or managing complex projects like those in the oil and gas, renewables, nuclear, or construction industries, you might find that there are many ideas that you believe in but only a small proportion of them usually develop into a real project. Many projects do not succeed. In fact, according to PMI statistics, on average 2 in 3 projects fail. This is especially true when it comes to the oil and gas industry. Statistics are as high as 78%. Poor project definition is one of the reasons so many projects fail since it ties ideas and execution together. Here are my three tips to maximize your chances of business ideas turning into profitable projects. #1 Choose the right type of idea Did you know that 73% of respondents according to Geneca believe that their projects are either always or usually doomed right from the start? When I say choose the right type of idea, I mean stop chasing every idea and every project. Instead, choose the idea with a clear value proposition, a clear fit with your business strategies, and stakeholders alignment right from the start. You must start by understanding your organizational strategies and where your company wants to go. This is usually done in the form of a strategic planning workshop. Management must clearly define and communicate this. You must have a system in place, such as the Stage Gate Process. In this system, you can clearly distinguish between ideas that are likely to fail and those that are likely to succeed. You must look for ways to bring a large number of fresh ideas to your company. However, don’t forget, it is not just about the system but how the system is being used across the organization. Consistency and fluency are the keys to success. #2 Turn your ideas into profitable projects using a simple and proven system. The truth is, most companies have plenty of ideas to turn into projects. The challenge is how to put this all together, validate ideas, and how to come up with the most effective concept to meet your stakeholder's expectations. This is where The Winning Game Plan comes in - I call it the Winning Game Plan because it is based on the proven stage gate model and together with the 6 key principles, it makes it a really agile and simple-to-follow system for project teams. A typical Stage Gate Process for realizing ideas and projects can be seen in this picture. Everything starts with an idea. The idea might come from the marketplace, a competitor, a customer, or from technology. It also might come from the business development department, exploration, marketing, or operation. A smart idea can make or break a project. This is the first step to initiating the roadmap. Having completed the initial idea screening questionnaire, we have moved on to Phase 1 - the assess phase. Here is a brief summary of each phase: Phase 1: Assess - Identify and Assess Opportunity—Clearly frame the idea to be pursued, and ensure alignment with business objectives and at least one feasible solution. Phase 2: Concept - Generate and Select Alternative(s)—Generate and assess a wide range of creative, doable alternatives for the idea, and select and define the alternative that provides the highest value for the business. Phase 3: Develop - Develop a preferred alternative. This is where we clock framing and apply project management practices. At the end of this phase, companies usually announce that they are working on a project to execute. Phase 4: Execute - Execute the project in accordance with the Project Execution Plan Phase 5: Operate and Evaluate—Benchmark the results against the business objectives; share the lessons and look for new opportunities and ideas. What you must remember is that the first two phases need to be managed differently than the last three, for example, in the first two phases we need to be agile, creative, and open to change with out-of-the-box thinking, therefore the first two phases are often managed by the Development Manager. The project manager's role usually begins in the Develop phase, when the objectives, scope, and measures of success are clearly defined. The role of the Project Manager is to deliver value by coordinating the inputs from cross-functional teams in such a way that the expectations of all the key stakeholders and communities can be met. #3 Maximize your most critical asset, your people. In projects, we talk about cross-functional teams. What is a cross-functional team? - well, it's simply a team whose members come from different functions or departments but because of the nature of the project they also contribute to the development or/and execution of a project; they often do so either in person or remotely and on a part-time or full-time basis. In the Assess Phase, cross-functional teams are likely to be working on a part-time basis and as the opportunity develops and progresses to the next stage, the amount of work evolves and the size of the team grows; by the time we are in the Develop phase, usually, most of the key members are working on a full-time basis. What are some of the challenges in leading cross-functional teams? There are many, for instance, the usual suspects: communication, planning and prioritizing tasks, different personalities and mood swings, and, of course, decision-making. Decision-making might be very challenging as people's perspectives on what needs to be done might be different, or what’s the given versus what are the assumptions So you need to clarify right up front how decisions are being made, what is the process, and who is the decision maker for particular types of decisions. When these challenges are not addressed well, they are likely to cause poor engagement, which results in poor productivity, poor performance, and poor project results. The studies confirmed that most development or project managers are lacking the skills and processes to build high-performing teams and this is where effective facilitation and the latest research about building high-performing teams might help. Check out my website for a team self-evaluation questionnaire on how to build the perfect team. Click here. Let me know if you find this article valuable and leave a comment. Contact me, if you want to conduct: Strategic planning workshop Opportunity framing workshop Training for your employees about the Stage Gate Process Here is the link to book a call: https://www.wilson.biz/book-a-call In fact, the online training course on the Stage Gate Process called " Complex Projects - The Winning Game - Plan" is already available and there isn't a better way to learn about this topic than through self-paced online study. Click the link below to learn what is included in this course: https://wilson-biz.mykajabi.com/2 and watch lesson 1 for free!

Vast majority of projects fail. Unsurprisingly this is not a secret that 1 in 3 projects on average fail and when it comes to mega complex projects like the ones in the oil and gas industry, the statistics go as high as 70% of them fail. According to the IPA ( Independent Project Analysis ), the most common reason why so many projects fail is a poorly defined frame. So what is a frame? And how do frame projects significantly increase the chances of success? When I talk about framing projects, I mean framing the ideas so that they are more likely to become a well-defined project. It is proven already that the more time you spend defining your idea and ensuring you understand the value proposition and have a creative and feasible solution, the higher the likelihood of success. And the difference is huge, for example, with a well-defined concept, even if you apply bad project management practices, you will achieve better outcomes on average than applying the best project management practices with poorly defined concepts. This is called front-end loading (early project planning). So, here are my tips on how to frame projects 1. Stop chasing your projects start choosing them Know how to use the stage gated process. For example, just having a stage-gated process in place is not enough. You need to know how to scale and make it relevant to a team. The main purpose of the stage gated process is to distinguish between thos e opportunities which are likely to fail and those which are likely to succeed. Make your decision process transparent so that teams and decision-makers are clear as to what to do. Keep your gates strong, meaning you have them either open or close – stop letting projects that are not ready go through those gates. Your gates should help the decision makers answer the question of whether the opportunity is ready to progress and if there is merit. 2. Create a repeatable and scalable process to frame your ideas with clarity and stakeholders’ alignment To frame your projects for success, start with framing your ideas first. Use the opportunity framing workshop right at the start of the assessment phase when you want to evaluate the value proposition and find out whether there is value to progressing the work on the opportunity. This is often the very first time when the decision makers, key stakeholders, opportunity manager, and the team get together to explore what the opportunity is about and align upon what is in the frame and what is not. This is the simplest way to achieve clarity on the scope and alignment on the way forward and it usually takes between half a day to two days of the professionally facilitated workshop. You then want to repeat the exercise at the start of the concept phase to validate the key framing elements such as value drivers, the definition of success, strategic fit and focus on identifying a new set of assumptions, givens, focus decisions, options, and deliverables required to move to the next decision gate. The process of framing is very dynamic and the output from this exercise is used as an input to key strategic deliverables such as risk register, risk management plan, project initiation plan, project development plan, or even project execution plan. As you move to the third phase, the opportunity framing should be locked. 3. Focus on creating a high-performing team If you want to achieve success with your projects, you need to focus on creating a high-performing team. This involves setting the right tone and creating an environment where everyone can work together towards a common goal. By following these simple tips, you can create a high-performing team: Psychological safety: Your team needs to feel comfortable talking about their feelings and sharing their thoughts and ideas. You should be able to express appreciation (listen, acknowledge, thank) and share your faults and things that didn't work out. Dependability: Set clear expectations and create clear commitments. Take actions and make decisions in a timely manner. Structure and clarity: Everyone has a clear role, plans, and goals. Goals are specific, challenging, and workable. Implement regular strategic planning at every level. By involving your teams in the opportunity framing workshop, you’ll achieve engagement and alignment right from the start. Meaning: Encourage self-expression by everyone. Find out what are your team's motivators. Impact: Provide regular feedback and involve teams in decision-making and developing their work plan. By getting team participation in the opportunity framing workshops, they get the big picture and understand how they can contribute to the success of the project. Frame your projects for success by setting realistic goals and focusing on the positive. Celebrate your accomplishments, and don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it.) If you want to learn more about opportunity framing, book your free 30 mins through the website www.wilson.biz.

Despite many books and programs available on topics of leadership, facilitation, strategy, employees’ engagement: ➡️How come leaders whether, in business, government or nonprofits still struggle to understand the role of a facilitator? ➡️How come people in teams whether, in business, government or nonprofits still struggle to feel engaged, get involved, and work together well? This first book which is based on 25 interviews with my fellow Facilitators from Australia and New Zealand addresses the urgent need to educate the public about facilitation and introduces a new language: 💛"Process Leader” as a Facilitator 💙"Being Socially Intelligent” instead of “the Facilitative Approach” ❤️"Social Intelligence” in place of “Facilitation” ‘Social Intelligence is defined here as the capacity to effectively navigate and manage complex social relationships and environment”. How do you like the new language? Do you want to find out more about Facilitation? I released the book Ordinary Meetings DON'T Interest Me!: What Is Facilitation? 📘 Order your copy today 🛒 https://lnkd.in/e7fS68DJ “This book is more than a set of skills and techniques. It is about mindset, discipline, and approach. It is about reading other people and understanding the context. And It’s about relationships, which need to be built across workgroups and communities. People collaborate effectively where there is a sense of trust – and this is where a good facilitator comes in! “ – Philip Hind, Change Leader

Here is a reminder for those of you who might feel confused or perhaps just got into a habit of calling for a constant meeting.

Did you know that vast majority of decisions are based on an underlying assumption? The other problem is that it doesn’t just apply in business. …….. But let's just stay in the business for now. One of the reasons I often rave to my clients about opportunity framing workshops is that participants get to learn about that one distinction that makes a difference when planning a project at an early stage. Basically, it opens the conversation in such a way that people with different knowledge and awareness can contribute equally without being judged or criticized. I call this Givens and Assumptions. 💛An Assumption is something we usually take for granted or presuppose while a Given is a conclusion you draw depending on your observations. 💙Moreover, we make Assumptions without any evidence or facts, while we say that something is a Given based on facts and evidence. How could you use it? When you get a group of people together involved in solving a problem, ask them to brainstorm for assumptions and givens. Assumptions and Givens can relate to: 🟣Understanding what’s currently happening and why 🟤 Setting up drivers, measures of success, and targets 🟢 Finding the root causes of the problem By introducing this simple distinction, you can help the group explore more what the problem is about and prevent them from jumping to conclusions too early. Source: https://lnkd.in/etPQQGxp

Have you ever wondered why some teams thrive while others struggle to survive? Can consensus decision – making so commonly used by facilitators ever be a bad thing? Experts claim, that it can – if you aren’t armed for a groupthink! So, what is a groupthink and why it matters? Groupthink is one of the key blind spots at work that might be killing your business. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, groupthink is “a pattern of thought characterized by self-deception, forced manufacture of consent, and conformity to group values and ethics.” Popularized in 1972 by social psychologist, Irving L. Janis, groupthink refers to a psychological phenomenon that happens when people in a group commit to decisions, they don’t necessarily agree with in order to avoid creating emotional tension or conflict with their colleagues. Janis identified eight different "symptoms" that indicate groupthink may be undermining team efforts. If majority of those symptoms occur at the same time, there is a very high likelihood of failure and bad decision making. Group cohesiveness is viewed as more important than individual freedom of expression The group operates in an insulated atmosphere Group leaders demonstrate impartial behavior There is no standard method in place for evaluating ideas and decisions Members’ social backgrounds and ideology are homogenous The group is under a lot of stress to perform The group has experienced recent failures There is excessive difficulty placed on the task of deciding, such as a moral dilemma Does GroupThink happen in current climate. Sadly, it does and even more often than we think and rarely have successful outcomes. Many times consensus decision making when done right it may arrive in a well informed decisions and high buy in and that’s all good. But what we have learned that consensus decision making sits just next to the groupthink when people are so committed to make a consensus is just very easy to prioritize harmony over the critical analysis, challenge. Here is the think, you need those people who ask the hard questions, challenge, analyze, evaluate……without them your team can miss out on making the best most informed decisions Grow collective intelligence rather than consensus and groupthink. Its when people start jumping to conclusions fast without spending time to evaluate options, understand the reasons behind, what the decision is actually about, who needs to make it and who suppose to contribute, etc. If you are about to make an important decision, talk to a professional facilitator. There is a higher likelihood to avoid blinds spots if you have an external service provider who has no vested interest in the decision or the outcome and can bring the process or two to ensure logic and engagement is followed. Check out this video to find out how groupthink can turn the most well-intentioned, intelligent, creative team into a group of people nodding and smiling while keeping their best ideas to themselves.

What an exciting times we live in ! The world of work is changing rapidly, putting more focus on people and on how we can work and communicate better together. Access to new processes, technologies, the impact of globalization, working remotely, enable each of us to grow into new markets faster and to connect with even more people and more communities than ever before. Understanding how to work with groups of people so they can produce outstanding results has never been more challenging, nor crucial to achieving success. So what is the role of a facilitator today, in fast changing environment? Sadly, the business world has been far too slow in recognizing facilitation as a key methodology for change. The word “facilitation” has evolved in such way that it means different things to different people and is often used incorrectly by trainers, managers and even CEO’s. You could almost say that “to facilitate” became fluffy and does not have one meaning. Let me give you some examples: A trainer would nowadays say “I have been facilitating all day long today”, meaning I have been teaching (when you teach, you have the responsibility for the outcome; you apply “facilitative approach” by engaging your students in learning, but you are not a facilitator!) A manager would say: “I am a facilitator for my team to create a long term plan, meaning “I am a team leader (in facilitation we believe that you can not facilitate your own team as there might a conflict of interest) A CEO says: “I am facilitating positive relationships with other companies from our industry, meaning “I am engaging with other companies/I am promoting positive relationships, etc. One of my clients said to me once: A facilitator means a scribe, doesn’t it? (No, a facilitator is Not a scribe!) So who is the facilitator, what is his/her role and why it matters? A dictionary definition of “to facilitate” is to make things easier, to assist in the progress. The International Association of Facilitators (IAF) defines a facilitator as “someone who plays an impartial role in helping groups become more effective. They should assume responsibility for the group processes, and they should not apply content expertise. They have no vested interest in the outcome whether to be a financial gain or not”. There are important differences between the role of a facilitator, trainer, a moderator, a coach, because their purpose is different. These terms are often used interchangeable, which causes confusion (“facilitating with ease”, Ingrid Bens). Facilitator versus Trainer or Teacher “So, from a teaching, training and learning perspective, there’s always imparting knowledge. You’re always presenting information and getting students to critically analyze the data, think about it, give feedback and test their understanding – this is the teaching side. When you are being a facilitator, you are sensing, observing, and guiding. It’s more about questioning their thinking, getting them to share their opinion, getting them to see and appreciate thoughts from each other and then leading them” – Jeremy Lu. Facilitator versus Moderator Ingrid Bens in her book “facilitating with ease” defines the role of a moderator as someone who leads a meeting, forum or a discussion, who overseas the communication taking place between the people and is allowed to apply their own knowledge (“content”) to help the progress and direction of the conversations. Sometimes the moderator can have a role of a MC – the master of a ceremony – to lead the conference or a meeting and often to entertain. Facilitator versus coach Cindy Tonkin says “coaching is more where the individual wants to go, whereas facilitation is more about where the groups want or need to go” Here are some key characteristics that should help you understand what the facilitator does, what is his/her role: A facilitator is someone who works with groups to help them achieve their goals. Facilitator’s focus is on the process so the group can focus on the content. A facilitator knows how groups of people operate. They know how to find what works for a specific group of people and then have them talking together and listen to each other. A facilitator makes everything very interactive and knows how to blend all the experiences and knowledge of everyone in the room into a new idea or something workable for the group. A facilitator does not need to explain the theory but he or she needs to be able to engage people in the experience of it. A facilitator supports everyone to do their best thinking. In meetings we often have disasters and people are not doing their best thinking and they are not on their best behavior, so they are not getting the best results. So the role of facilitator is to help the group by working on how the conversation takes place, so the group can get their best outcomes. Can the facilitator be a coach, trainer, or a moderator and vice versa? Of course, but changing hats needs to be intentional and transparent so the group knows at all time what your current role is. Source: Ordinary Meetings Don't Interest Me. Creative Group Leadership, Book 1. What is Facilitation?

Safety for truth speaking "Create a psychologically safe environment for people to speak their truth and design processes where that truth speaking actually influences decisions. This is how I would describe my role as a facilitator, said Nick Preston, "Ordinary Meetings Don't Interest Me" Why truth speaking is so important? The number one human desire is to be taken seriously. When you dismiss, belittle, talk over, talk down, ignore or debate a person’s point of view without exhausting the desire to see and to understand, it is impossible to expect good results. Everyone, especially people working in a group environment want to feel heard. When people experience being genuinely heard half of the conflict dies away, because the first desire is to be taken seriously. As a facilitator, your role is to create an environment where every idea and every viewpoint is taken seriously, and everyone is feeling heard and seen. Honesty and truth speaking start with the facilitator. The facilitator needs to demonstrate a certain kind of behaviors worth imitating by the group and this will transfer down to the sponsor and the people in the room and then wider community. Is truth speaking able to reduce risk? Yes provided there is an environment, culture and genuine interest that people can solve their own problems. If there is a culture where decisions are made before a facilitative process occurs, then often the organization makes incredible naïve assumptions, both about the nature of the problem and the solution, which can increase the risk profile of the organization. Facilitation should not be used as a feel-good exercise. Source: Ordinary Meetings Don't Interest Me. Creative Group Leadership, Book 1. What is Facilitation?

Facilitation is not a profession that you study at University; rather, it is something that many people fall into, usually by chance. If you are at the start of your journey as a facilitator as it is more a journey than a career, you must know the code of ethics and values that all professional facilitators strive to follow. PREAMBLE Facilitators are called upon to fill an impartial role in helping groups become more effective. We act as process guides to create a balance between participation and results. We, the members of the International Association of Facilitators (IAF), believe that our profession gives us a unique opportunity to make a positive contribution to individuals, organizations, and society. Our effectiveness is based on our personal integrity and the trust developed between ourselves and those with whom we work. Therefore, we recognize the importance of defining and making known the values and ethical principles that guide our actions. This Statement of Values and Code of Ethics recognizes the complexity of our roles, including the full spectrum of personal, professional and cultural diversity in the IAF membership and in the field of facilitation. Members of the International Association of Facilitators are committed to using these values and ethics to guide their professional practice. These principles are expressed in broad statements to guide ethical practice; they provide a framework and are not intended to dictate conduct for particular situations. Questions or advice about the application of these values and ethics may be addressed to the International Association of Facilitators. STATEMENT OF VALUES As group facilitators, we believe in the inherent value of the individual and the collective wisdom of the group. We strive to help the group make the best use of the contributions of each of its members. We set aside our personal opinions and support the group’s right to make its own choices. We believe that collaborative and cooperative interaction builds consensus and produces meaningful outcomes. We value professional collaboration to improve our profession. CODE OF ETHICS Client Service We are in service to our clients, using our group facilitation competencies to add value to their work. Our clients include the groups we facilitate and those who contract with us on their behalf. We work closely with our clients to understand their expectations so that we provide the appropriate service, and that the group produces the desired outcomes. It is our responsibility to ensure that we are competent to handle the intervention. If the group decides it needs to go in a direction other than that originally intended by either the group or its representatives, our role is to help the group move forward, reconciling the original intent with the emergent direction. 2. Conflict of Interest We openly acknowledge any potential conflict of interest. Prior to agreeing to work with our clients, we discuss openly and honestly any possible conflict of interest, personal bias, prior knowledge of the organization or any other matter which may be perceived as preventing us from working effectively with the interests of all group members. We do this so that, together, we may make an informed decision about proceeding and to prevent misunderstanding that could detract from the success or credibility of the clients or ourselves. We refrain from using our position to secure unfair or inappropriate privilege, gain, or benefit. 3. Group Autonomy We respect the culture, rights, and autonomy of the group. We seek the group's conscious agreement to the process and their commitment to participate. We do not impose anything that risks the welfare and dignity of the participants, the freedom of choice of the group, or the credibility of its work. 4. Processes, Methods, and Tools We use processes, methods and tools responsibly. In dialogue with the group or its representatives, we design processes that will achieve the group's goals, and select and adapt the most appropriate methods and tools. We avoid using processes, methods or tools with which we are insufficiently skilled, or which are poorly matched to the needs of the group. 4. Respect, Safety, Equity, and Trust We strive to engender an environment of respect and safety where all participants trust that they can speak freely and where individual boundaries are honored. We use our skills, knowledge, tools, and wisdom to elicit and honor the perspectives of all. We seek to have all relevant stakeholders represented and involved. We promote equitable relationships among the participants and facilitator and ensure that all participants have an opportunity to examine and share their thoughts and feelings. We use a variety of methods to enable the group to access the natural gifts, talents and life experiences of each member. We work in ways that honor the wholeness and self-expression of others, designing sessions that respect different styles of interaction. We understand that any action we take is an intervention that may affect the process. 5. Stewardship of Process We practice stewardship of process and impartiality toward content. While participants bring knowledge and expertise concerning the substance of their situation, we bring knowledge and expertise concerning the group interaction process. We are vigilant to minimize our influence on group outcomes. When we have content knowledge not otherwise available to the group, and that the group must have to be effective, we offer it after explaining our change in role. 6. Confidentiality We maintain confidentiality of information. We observe confidentiality of all client information. Therefore, we do not share information about a client within or outside of the client's organization, nor do we report on group content, or the individual opinions or behavior of members of the group without consent. 7. Professional Development We are responsible for continuous improvement of our facilitation skills and knowledge. We continuously learn and grow. We seek opportunities to improve our knowledge and facilitation skills to better assist groups in their work. We remain current in the field of facilitation through our practical group experiences and ongoing personal development. Source: International Association of Facilitators (IAF)

Success story Impact: “The workshop participants were impressed by Iwona’s professional and engaging delivery of the workshop and very happy with the high standard of outcomes achieved during the two days. We consider ourselves extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with such talented volunteer” “We would like to commend Iwona for her outstanding contribution to the success of our project which will ultimately result in strong governance standards for the Noongar corporations established as a result of South West Native Title Settlement” – Wayne Nannup, CEO of the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council. Context and challenges The South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council is the organization that represents the Noongar people, the Aboriginal Australians of the southwest corner of Western Australia . It was formed in 2001, and is incorporated under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 . The Council's primary role is to assist the Noongar people with native title claims and Indigenous land use agreements . It also helps support Noongar culture and heritage, and publishes the Kaartdijin Noongar ("Noongar Knowledge") website. With the rapidly changing environment and growing demand for services, there was a need to reinvigorate the entire organization, find new strategic directions and establish clear governance and management system structure. Project Objectives The 2 days workshop was designed and delivered in accordance with the following objectives: Understanding of the current state, including organizational strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats. Creating a new vision with a clear purpose, values and behaviors required Identification of clear strategic directions for the next 1 to 3 years Establishment of management system structure with policies, objectives, and scope Team engagement and commitment to take actions, work together and address the challenges Approach Facilitative approach was applied to help the group work together better by creating effective processes and environment that foster participation and achieve result.