“I drew names out of the hat, and you are going first,” I said.

“But, I have never done this before,” resisted Edwin.

“That’s why you are known as fresh meat and believe me, the rest of the group will appreciate that you volunteered to go first.” Next week, Edwin was scheduled to present his 2006 Business Plan to an executive group he belongs to.

“Edwin, here is how it works. Make 15 copies of this 3-page plan. Everyone gets 2 minutes to read your plan. You then get 10 minutes to present additional information to fill in the details.

“At the end of your presentation, I will break the group into three person teams. They get 90 seconds to write down three questions about your presentation.

“Then, I let them loose on you for the next 20 minutes. It will be painful, but it may be your most valuable strategic exercise of the year. Any questions?”

If you want to truly get something valuable out of this planning process, grab a group of your colleagues and let them poke holes in your business plan. The feedback will be priceless.-TF