In Phase One: Assess Organizational Design, I described the fundamental constructs necessary to design an organization for maximum agility. Phase Two, “Plan from the Foundation,” is a methodology for tapping into the power source of organizational agility: your people. The frontline stakeholders in your organization are the tactical problem solvers and purveyors of foundational perspectives that compound into profound wins for the organization and its customers. Flipping the traditional perspective of trickle-down, authoritarian strategic planning to a process that is more inclusive will ignite a tangible energy that will manifest within the ranks of your workforce.

An excellent example of this inclusive leadership style can be found in the historic command of George Washington. Following the famed Delaware River crossing and a surprise attack victory in Trenton, N.J., the energized yet ragged Continental Army set up camp across the Assunpink Creek from arriving British reinforcements. Washington did not like the odds of a full engagement with a reinforced enemy. He instead convened a council of officers and locals to devise a solution. After a robust discussion of ideas, it was proposed that the army slip away under the cover of darkness and on narrow, unfamiliar roads head north to Princeton. To accomplish this, Washington invited two locals into the council with knowledge of the terrain his army would have to traverse. They volunteered as guides through terrain familiar to them and the successful maneuver led to key victories that bolstered the success of the Continental Army.

The lesson in this action is the humble inclusion of the local farmers as guides, a common site in Washington’s councils. When leadership is genuinely open to all ideas and solutions proposed by the people most familiar with your company’s terrain of business performance, the likelihood of success compounds exponentially.