Summit for the Animals 20021
Summit for the Animals 2002
Strategic Planning Retreat
March 14-16, 2002
______
My interest is in the future,
because I’m going to spend the rest of my life there.
– Charles Kettering
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DAY ONE
Summit for the Animals 2002 was held at the Wyndham Bel Age Hotel in West Hollywood, California, from March 14-16, 2002. Forty-one leaders of the American animal movement gathered together for a two-day, strategic planning retreat designed to forge a bold vision for the future for animals, and to develop an action plan for how Summit can get us there.
Expectations . . .
. . . of the Process
“Just what is the purpose of Summit?” . . . most everyone desires that Summit realize its potential for taking the movement forward.
Our goal for Summit for the Animals 2002 is for us to combine our creative energies to:
1)answer the question of the purpose of Summit, and more!
2)Together, we can forge a bold vision of what we want the future to look like for animals, and
3)develop an action plan for how Summit can get us there
. . . of the Facilitator
1)Structure & facilitate a process to achieve desired results
2)Guide & coach
3)Set the stage for people to be at their best
4)Suggest new ways of thinking and doing
5)Keep us focused and on track
6)Start and stop on time
. . . of the Participants
1)Participate – engage in this process
2)Be willing to experiment & take risks
3)Listen
4)Care . . . about Summit & about the outcomes
5)Take responsibility . . . for your behavior
6)Be here (for the entire process), Be on time, and Be here while you’re here
Agenda
DAY ONE
Discover – Our “bests” as our foundation
Dream – A vision of what could be
DAY TWO
Design – Creating outcomes
Deliver – How to get there
Destiny – Commitments to Action
Build Trust
Individual Commitments
1. Be positive.
2. Seek others' input.
3. Listen.
4. Disclose.
5. Separate the message from the messenger.
Group Commitments
1. Maintain each others' self esteem.
2. Support and praise each other.
3. Keep sensitive information confidential.
4. Stand up for each other.
5. Avoid gossip or unfair criticism of others.
6. Appreciate each others' skills and differences.
--Rogers, Robert, Psychological Contract of Trust,
Development Dimensions International, pp. 29, 40.
Introductions
Part 1: The planners
Many of you know each other; you may have worked with each other for years, or perhaps you’ve only heard about each other. Today I’d like to suggest we begin by introductions to perhaps raise new impressions and understanding of each other. I’m going to give you the instructions for how to introduce yourselves, and then we’ll take 4 or 5 minutes so that you can think about what you want to say. Feel free to jot down notes to remind you or organize your thoughts since you will only have 30 seconds – basically the time it takes a match to burn down – to introduce yourself. When it’s your turn – and we’ll just go in a circle – state:
1.your name and where you live, and
- Give us a brief snapshot of the moment in time when it became clear that you were going to devote life energy to this cause. If there wasn’t a specific moment, describe the source of your energy or inspiration...and do it as if you’re painting a scene or describing a photo.
Part 2: The Stakeholders
(In preparing for attending Summit, participants were asked to bring to the retreat a poignant picture – at least 8”x10”, color or black and white – of an animal or group of animals that they represent in their work.)
Strategic planning involves stakeholders. In this work, the biggest stakeholders are the animals – but our dilemma, of course, is that we can’t ask them. However, we can raise our consciousness by thinking about their stake in these two days. Please take your photo, two pieces of tape, a pen or pencil, and the three colored sticky notes at your seat and walk to a wall – spread out around the room. Tape your photo to the wall and post the three large post-it notes – pink, yellow, and orange – next to it.
Facing the wall, move three pictures to the left. Based on the picture you’re now looking at…
- on the pink post-it: Name one thing of value that this animal brings to the world.
- Moving left once again to the next picture, write down on the yellow post-it your thoughts about a moment in time that this animal dreams of.
- Move once more to your left and note on the orange paper a hope or wish this animal would have for the outcome of our work together.
When you’ve finished writing, take a walk around the room and without talking, take in what you see.
Summit for the Animals 2002
Strategic Planning, Part I:
Discovery
who we are at our best
what our best looks like
Premise: In every society, organization, or group…something works. What we focus on becomes our reality. Therefore, we choose to ask of ourselves, "what works?"
Appreciation is a wonderful thing;
it makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.
--Voltaire
Summit for the Animals 2002
Note: This exercise was part of the pre-Summit Instructions that appeared in your
"Welcome to Summit" email from Kirsten.
Preparation Exercise
Take some quiet time to consider the things you value deeply; specifically, the things you value about yourself, about the nature of the work that you do, and about the group or organization that you work for. Write down your answers to the following questions.
(Please Note: Your answers do not need to be complete sentences, they only need to capture the essence of your thoughts. You will not be required to show these answers to others. You will be asked to refer back to these questions and your answers during the retreat.)
1) Without being humble, what do you value most about yourself as a person and as a member of your group or organization?
2) When you are feeling best about your work, what about the task itself do you value?
3) What do you value about the group or organization you work for?
4) What is the most important thing your group or organization has contributed …
…to your life?
…to the world?
Bert Troughton, MSW SFSPCA & ASPCA Strategic Alliance (603) 239-7030
Task: Best Experience Inquiry
Purpose: To fully explore who we are, how we behave, and what we're capable of when we're at our best.
Time: 1 hour
You will each have 30 minutes to interview your partner -
take your time and make it a rich and meaningful interview.
Outcomes: We're looking for meaningful stories, captivating images, inspirations, and quotable quotes …
Instructions:
1. Start by reading the inquiry questions (below).
2. Take about 5 minutes to think quietly about the best experience you want to talk about. (If you have not yet had a best experience in your current position, you may share a best experience from any time in your life.)
3. Decide which one of you will be the "inquirer" first. The Inquirer begins by asking her/his partner the questions
below. (See also "Tips for the Inquirer" on the next page.)
The Inquiry
1) Where do you work and what do you do there?
2) What attracted you to your work? What excitements? What initial impressions?
3) Describe a specific time or specific situation when you felt most alive, involved, and excited about your role in this work. (We'll refer to this as your "best experience".)
What happened?
What was your role and what did you do?
What were you thinking and how were you feeling?
Who else was there and what was it like to work together?
What made it a best experience?
What do you think made this best experience possible?
Bert Troughton, MSW SFSPCA & ASPCA Strategic Alliance (603) 239-7030
Best Experience Inquiry
Tips for the Inquirer
•Our definition of Inquiry is to search for meaning.
•Your objective is two-fold:
(1) to work with your partner to create a shared picture--or appreciation--of her/hisbestexperience, and
(2) to assist your partner to have at least one new insight into what made this time or situation a best experience for her/him.
•Use the full 30 minutes to get the most out of this exercise. Jot down notes - this will help you keep track of details and capture "quotable quotes".
•As you interview your partner, you will probably find that you want to ask other questions or otherwise actively participate in the conversation. Go for it! You do not have to be a neutral, unbiased recorder. Remember, you're looking to see their picture……to understand fully and be excited or intrigued by their best experience.
•Possible probing questions to help the interview along…
"I'm curious about this detail in your story, tell me more …"
"Can you help me get a feel for the atmosphere at the time?"
"Tell me about your energy, what kept you motivated?"
"What's the actual picture in your mind whenever you look back at this time?"
•Remember, if your partner has not yet had a best experience in her/his current role - or even in this field - it is perfectly OK to help them tell a story of their best experience at any point in their life.
Bert Troughton, MSW SFSPCA & ASPCA Strategic Alliance (603) 239-7030
Task: Inquiry Sharing
Purpose: To develop a team sense of who we are, how we behave, and what we're capable of when we're at our best.
Time: 30 minutes total
Each set of partners will have approximately 5 to 10 minutes
to recap the meaningful stories, captivating images, inspirations,
and quotable quotes.
Outcomes: A composite team picture of best experience
Instructions:
1. Decide which partnership will go first. Ask someone to
keep track of the time so everyone shares equally.
2. Partners work together to share the highlights of each
of their best experiences for the group. Each person gives
the highlights of their own story, while their partner assists in
bringing some of the inspirations and quotable quotes to the
group's attention.
3. Individually, (as you're listening) jot down notes about the stories you hear or thoughts/ideas that the stories bring to mind.
4. Group members may ask questions (refer back to Tips
for the Inquirer), but remember to stick to your time frame.
Bert Troughton, MSW SFSPCA & ASPCA Strategic Alliance (603) 239-7030
Task: Mining for the Gold (and other precious elements)
Purpose: To extract common themes that will provide parameters
for how we will work together successfully.
Time: 30 minutes total (including parts I & II)
Outcomes: Core Values, Strengths, Conditions for Success
Instructions:
Part I:Compile a List
1. Choose someone to record your ideas on your flip chart.
Choose someone to help keep track of time.
2. As a group, identify all of the common elements of
the stories and best experiences you've been talking about.
Record these on your flip chart.
Add any quotable quotes that aren't already on the list.
3. Add further ideas individuals may have had while listening
to the stories in your group.
Note: Everything on your list should relate to an experience
that at least one of you has actually had. In other words, this
isn't a brainstorm of what a best experience could look like,
this is an exploration of what your best experiences have and do look like!
4. If time permits, indicate with colors or symbols which things
on your list represent core values, which things represent strengths, and which things represent conditions for success.
Part II:Prepare A Presentation to the Large Group
1. Choose someone to report your findings to the large group.
2. Work together to help your spokesperson prepare a brief
presentation that will be made to the entire Summit.
3. To make your presentation upbeat, you may wish to include a fun image or quotable quote that has been inspiring, energizing, or amusing for your group.
Bert Troughton, MSW SFSPCA & ASPCA Strategic Alliance (603) 239-7030
Summit for the Animals 2002
Strategic Planning, Part II:
Dream
a shared vision
of the future of Summit & its impact on the world
Premise: We build the future on our past and present. Therefore, we wish to carry forward the best of our past and present on which to build.
If you can dream it, you can do it.
--Walt Disney
Task: Creating your vision of the future
Purpose: To bring your energy into focus
Time: 15 minutes total
Outcomes: A picture of what might be
Instructions:
1. Sit quietly. Think about your answers to your pre-Summit values exercise.
2. Reflect on the common themes your group identified from
your best experiences.
3. Imagine you have stepped into a time machine, and when you stop it is the year 2020. You get out of the machine and as you walk around, you realize that animals now enjoy the value and place in the world that you believe is just. You are amazed and delighted that the movement has been successful.
Pause to let your imagination create a mental picture of what you find.
…PAUSE & IMAGINE…
4. Jot down your answers to the following questions:
•What images do you see that tell you animals are valued?
•What do you hear?
•How does the world feel different to you?
•What reputation does the movement have?
•How are people working together…in good times? …in bad?
Bert Troughton, MSW SFSPCA & ASPCA Strategic Alliance (603) 239-7030
Task: Building Shared Visions
Purpose: To develop a destination that will inspire people
to want to take the "journey".
Time: 1 hour total
Outcomes: Lists of ideas and images of the desired future
Instructions:
1. Ask someone in your group to keep track of time. You will
probably want to spend about 15 minutes on Part I, and
45 minutes on Part II.
Part I:Stories & mental pictures
2. Each group member tells the story or shares the "picture" s/he has created of arriving in 2020 to find animals valued and the movement successful.
Help each other tell these stories. Ask questions. Get excited! Jump to new ideas!
Part II:Vision Themes, Ideas, & Elements
3. As a group, discuss the questions on the following page and
jot down your ideas in response to each question. Work together to translate ideas into tangible images (i.e.: things you can see or hear)
Note: If nothing comes to mind for a particular question or area, skip it and move on.
4. Choose someone to write on your flip chart.
5. Compile a list of ideas and images that represent all of the visions in your group.
Note: We will be organizing, condensing, and fine tuning
the visions tomorrow in order to arrive at a shared vision that everyone in the room can get excited about. So it is not
necessary at this time to come to agreement on ideas or
images before they are put on your flip charts.
Bert Troughton, MSW SFSPCA & ASPCA Strategic Alliance (603) 239-7030
Your vision of what might be in 2020:
(1) What reputation does the movement have?
(2) How is the movement regarded in the major institutions
of our society and how do you know? Be specific--indicate
what you see or hear which tells you how the movement is
regarded.
…in politics?
…in the media?
…in science, academia, & education?
…in the industry, business & nonprofit sectors?
…in community, social, spiritual, & family contexts?
…in any other realms?
(3) Who has allied with the movement?
(4) What contribution has Summit made to bring all of this into being?
(5) Is there anything else in your visions that you would like to make note of?
Bert Troughton, MSW SFSPCA & ASPCA Strategic Alliance (603) 239-7030
Summit for the Animals 2002
Homework
Tonight:
1) In your opinion, what are the top two (2) trends or issues affecting our movement? Write your answers on the flip chart at the front of the room.
2) What three (3) wishes would you make to heighten the vitality and health
of Summit for the Animals? Write each of your wishes (one to a page) on a colored piece of paper, and tape these up somewhere in the room.
3) In order to prepare for a very different kind of work tomorrow, please read the Protocols for Listening (attached).
Tomorrow Morning:Before9:00 a.m.!
4) Take a walk around the room and reflect on the pictures, and messages, and flip charts, and wishes, and everything you see.
Summit for the Animals 2002
Strategic Planning, Part III:
Design
co-creating what can be
Premise: Where you think you are going is where you end up.
It is a funny thing about life;
if you refuse to accept anything but the best,
you very often get it.
--W. Somerset Maugham