Business GEM #3 Goal Management Team (GMT)

The Goal Management Team (GMT) is made up of the key operational managers of Pinnacle Forum America. The persons who constitute the GMT include the President, Vice President, and other officers or key managers.

• The GMT deals only with the "Vital Few" (not the "trivial many").
• Their meetings are neither “management-by-committee meetings” nor staff meetings.
• GMT meetings are not meetings for the President to “hold court.”
• The key managers are not there to bring the President up-to-date or to get his/her advice or approval.
• These are TEAM meetings that are held to define Pinnacle Forum’s plan and goals, and to measure performance versus plan on a regular basis.
• GMT agendas include only items that deal with:

• Development of the strategic plan
• spiritual growth
• partner growth
• forum content
• planning of partner events
• recruitment activities
• REVENUE
• CASH FLOW
• POLICIES
• ACTIONS TO ACHIEVE GOALS
• Assessment of the strategic plan

GMT teleconference Meetings

The Ground Rules

Get team members buy-in before the GMT is implemented, it is essential to obtain the unanimous buy-in from the team members of the GMT to these Ground Rules.

It is the Chairperson’s responsibility to distribute the GMT meeting agenda.
The Agenda is the minutes (Action Steps) from the prior meeting. The Agenda is to be distributed 3 days in advance of the meeting.

• Copy and distribute the completed GMT Minutes/Agenda form from the previous meeting. It serves as both the minutes of the previous meeting and as the agenda for the next meeting.
• In advance, ask all participants if they want to add items to the agenda. (Add only items that qualify as the " vital few.")
• The " Who Responsible" person on the agenda should be prepared to report on his/her agenda item (action step) in the time allotted on the agenda.

Schedule future GMT meetings on a regular time frame—e.g. bi-weekly on Monday’s at 9 AM.

• At the very start of the meeting, choose the dates, times and Chairpersons for the next two meetings. Chair can be rotated. (All participants bring your calendars.)

Choose a recording secretary to record Action Decisions. Secretary’s responsibilities:

• Records attendance.
• Records the concise statements of adopted Action Steps (no "he said, she said.") or “P” for Policy changes/additions.
• Each action step is accompanied by a “ Who Responsible" name and " When Due" date.
• Distributes copies of the minutes, A/S within one-day following the meeting.

Choose a timekeeper. Responsibilities of the Timekeeper:

• Time to be allotted for the meeting is to be set in advance and be limited to approximately 75 minutes.
• Timekeeper goes through the agenda quickly and asks each participant how much time they will need to report on their respective items, and records those time estimates.
• Adjust all requested times to meet time constraints.
• 15 minutes should be held in reserve for Team Consulting possibilities.
• When reporting person's time is up (timer bell rings) immediately advise the person to wrap it up within the next two (2) minutes.

Chairperson prioritizes the items on the agenda.

• Comparison of PLAN with ACTUAL performance should always be the first operational (perhaps the ONLY) item on the agenda.

GMT Meetings

The Agenda

• FIRST, seeks God’s Holy Spirit to enlighten the meeting about to take place.

• Reach agreement on the goal to be accomplished at this meeting.
• Ask— "If our time together today is successful, what will we accomplish? What’s the goal of this meeting?"
• Chairperson is responsible to keep the members of the team focused on the items on the agenda, and to ask the "Who Responsible" person to report.

• Make comparison of PLAN to ACTUAL performance the first operational item on the agenda.

• Managers give the PLAN vs. ACTUAL reports. The managers report on the performance in their respective areas of accountability.

• Create an environment that is positive and pro-active.It is the responsibility of the Chairperson to achieve a team spirit so that the members of the GMT will view this as a time for support, sharing, teamwork and an opportunity to obtain helpful counsel—not as a "hot seat" or as a potentially embarrassing event.

• When performance is favorable to Plan, the Chairperson can suggest that you " Tell us how you did it." In that way everyone learns from the successes of others.
• • When performance is unfavorable to Plan, many feel compelled to explain the reason or give excuses. Excuses are not important as they are history and cannot be changed. Eliminate them altogether unless it would be helpful to the group to know. Otherwise, go immediately to the corrective action to get back on Plan.

• If the "Who Responsible" manager is not able to choose a corrective action step, then the Chairperson asks the manager if he/she would like to take the problem to Team Consulting. Record an A/S for Team Consulting at some future date and who will participate in the session.

• Each action step taken during the meeting is recorded in the minutes accompanied by a “ Who Responsible" name and " When Due" date.

• At the conclusion of the meeting, the chairperson summarizes what was accomplished.

Chairperson asks, “Did we accomplish our goal for this meeting?"

Chairperson closes the meeting in prayer, seeking God’s blessing on the proceedings.

Team Consulting.

Team Consulting is efficient and effective. It works!
It gives the authority to choose the corrective action with the person responsible and accountable for the specific function or project, as it ought to be.

For example, during the process of a normal GMT meeting, a problem is identified that caused performance to not meet Plan. Until it is resolved, progress toward the accomplishment of the Plan’s goals is in jeopardy. That’s the time for Team Consulting.

Let’s assume the problem is that Partner recruitment is falling below Plan and the year end goal is in jeopardy of being achieved. The Chair of the GMT Meeting then asks the VP, “ What's your corrective action? ”

The VP responds, “ I'm not sure. I don't have a specific solution in mind. I would like to use Team Consulting to give me some ideas for a possible corrective action.”

Since the VP is accountable to accomplish his/her plan, he/she is granted the authority to choose the corrective action. Consequently, the VP becomes the Facilitator for the Team Consulting sub-meeting.

Team Consulting Ground Rules

1. The person responsible for the area in which the problem exists facilitates the Team Consulting.
Since this is the person who is accountable to resolve the issue, it is appropriate that this person (not his/her boss) choose the corrective action to be taken. Make sense?

2. Team Consulting Facilitator chooses a timekeeper and chooses time to be allotted.

3. Facilitator defines the apparent problem and gives the background and essential facts.
E.g. “Because we have not been having nay local events or Partner recruitment dinners, we are not getting adequate new names to pursue.

4. After the problem has been defined, next ask, “ WHAT'S THE GOAL?"
This is intended to get the GMT focused on the GOAL, not the apparent problem.
For example, the goal is to "Recruit the needed Partners to get back on the Plan."
But, the apparent problem is no dinners or events for referrals. If the GMT focuses on solving the problem instead of the goal, the GMT might solve the apparent problem but not accomplish the goal of getting sales back up to plan.

5. After the goal has been defined, state the “How can” question that will achieve the goal.
For example , "How can I (or we)… recruit the Partners we need to get back on plan?" (The goal.)

6. Facilitator asks someone to write down ALL of the suggestions or ideas that are made.
Write all of them down so that everyone knows theirs will be given consideration.

7. Facilitator must be open to suggestions —LISTEN‑‑NOT BE DEFENSIVE, do not reject any ideas . The more open everyone feels, the more suggestions will be presented. Avoid discussing the merits of the suggestions. Put as many down as quickly as possible.
A defensive attitude can be intimidating and reduce input. Anyway, there is no need to be defensive since the Facilitator simply chooses only the action he/she wants.

8. Get balanced participation.
Encourage participation and recommendations from everyone including the boss. Ask quiet members for their suggestions, as theirs often are some real gems.

• Summarize all the recommendations. This will demonstrate that everyone has been heard.

10. Facilitator chooses the corrective action decision .
From all the possibilities suggested, the Team Consulting chairperson chooses only the action steps he/she wants. These are recorded with specific dates for their completion and become a part of the Minutes. Sometimes the Team Consulting Facilitator wants to have some time to make his/her decision for corrective action. That's OK, but, an action step should be recorded at this meeting indicating when the decision is to be made and by whom.