1. The Seven Outs: Strategic Planning & Leadership Development for Chapters
Delta Sigma Pi
South Atlantic Region Area Conference
Florida Southern College
August 2009
Dr. David B. Ross

2. Strategic Planning & Leadership Development: How to Create and Enhance Leaders within the Chapter
Accountability
Character: Influence
Communication: Uninformed - Ask
Educate People for the Global World
Ideas…but how they are “Executed”
Teams Win
Think: Critical Thinking & Problem Solving

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

4. Figure Out Where you are – present position
Where you want to go – plot a course
Why does our organization (chapter) 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

5. 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”

6. 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

7. 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 (chapter) is doing
Obtaining the “buy-in” that an organization (chapter) needs
Creates a clear map

8. 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 (chapter) are vital
80% of time spent discussing trivial issues
People major in minors

9. Measure Out Evaluate the organization’s (chapter’s) actual performance
Focus on indicators that point to the right path 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

10. Shout Out
Shout out the organization’s (your chapter’s) accomplishments
The more people that know, the better off the organization (chapter)
Internal motivation
Recognition
Achievement
Growth

11. The Beginning

12. References
Carpenter, B. L. (2008). The seven outs: Strategic planning made easy for charter schools. Mt. Pleasant, MI: The National Charter Schools Institute.
Ross, D. B. (2009, March). The seven outs. Paper presented at the Mid-Atlantic Area Conference, Virginia Commonwealth University.
Ross, D. B. (2009, August). The seven outs. Paper presented at the Southeastern Area Conference, Georgia State University.