Strategy and planning, they are the best when they allow you to explore philosophical possibilities while remaining well grounded in pragmatism. To avoid getting lost in tangents, structured facilitation helps. TIme-boxing is the most appropriate way to dedicate intense but limited time to strategy first. Then a thorough discussion about the different reactions in the room would be the perfect intermediate step towards a planning session. In the last phase the group, well immersed in the opportunities and the contexts explored before, would be ready to assign practical tasks to each member to pursue the strategic vision through practical objectives.

Keeping the right balance between abstract, speculative thought and practical, executive planning requires careful dedication and self-awareness. Those are the ingredients of a continuously refined strategy and planning in a group