Southern Province Mid-Atlantic Region Area Conference The Seven Outs Virginia Commonwealth University March 22, 2009 Delta Sigma Pi

Leadership Today Accountability Character: Influence Communication: Ask Educate People for the Global World Ideas…but how they are Executed Teams Win Think: Critical Thinking & Problem Solving Transparency: Openness and disclosure

The 7 Outs Figure Out Find Out Scope Out Write Out Carry Out Measure Out Shout Out

Figure Out Where you are – present position Where you want to go – plot a course Why does our organization exist? Ask until you arrive at a clear answer Create a plan Cannot implement a meaningful plan until the organization “figures out” what it should achieve

Find Out Find out how others are doing How are they achieving Do not reinvent the wheel Who is already doing it How are they doing it Picking the right people to accomplish the right things in the right way Reduce the thinking of “we have always done it this way”

Scope Out Scope out the external environment External environment is always shifting Gather intelligence of the external environment What is the terrain What are the obstacles Changes that may impact your organization

Write Out Write out your plan Act of committing words: brain thinks about the topic Refines thinking about best way to carry out desires Convey to others what the organization is doing Obtaining the “buy-in” that an organization needs Creates a clear map

Carry Out The execution of the plan The difficult part Challenges – must overcome The team that wins is not the one with the best plan; it is the one that can execute their plan the best 80/20 Principle 20% of all issues surrounding an organization are vital 80% of time spent discussing trivial issues People major in minors

Measure Out Evaluate the organization’s actual performance Focus on indicators that point to the right trajectory to achieve the outcomes Measure progress while en route to the goal A basic measure of the right thing is better than a precise measure of the wrong thing Ladder and the wall

Shout Out Shout out the organization’s accomplishments The more people that know, the better off the organization Internal motivation Recognition Achievement Growth

The Beginning

References Carpenter, B. L. (2008). The seven outs: Strategic planning made easy f or charter schools. Mt. Pleasant, MI: The National Charter Schools Institute.