My husband and I have camped and hiked for five decades in mountains, prairies, and woodlands. We’ve stayed in backpacking tents, tent trailers, and motorhomes. We consider ourselves experienced campers.
Yet a few small mistakes on a recent three-day camping trip reminded us that good planning still requires thorough execution.
We had prepared chili for our first night’s dinner and purchased meat for two other meals. We had a detailed food list that we carefully checked while packing.
As we started preparing dinner at the campsite, we realized the chili was still sitting in our refrigerator at home.
- No problem. We would use the meat planned for the second night.
- Except that was also sitting in our refrigerator.
Fortunately, we adapted. Vegetables, tuna, eggs, and smokies quickly became the menu.
What went wrong?
❌ We had a detailed list, but we hadn’t completed it fully. One section showing the meat for each meal was left blank. Because those items weren’t on the list, they never made it into the cooler.
I love finding parallels between everyday life, facilitation, and strategic planning. This camping mishap offered a few lessons that were too good to ignore.
Facilitation
➡️ Focus on the outcomes: The goal was to have dinner, not necessarily to eat chili. Similarly, the goal of facilitation is not to follow a design perfectly. The goal is to help participants achieve the outcomes.
➡️ Prepare and then adapt: Even experienced campers and facilitators occasionally forget things. Preparation matters, and yet surprises happen. Being able to adapt is equally important whether at a campsite or in a meeting room. And humour goes a long way when things don’t go as planned.
➡️ Be resourceful: When the plan changes, work with what you have. Tuna and eggs at a campsite. Effective facilitation often depends on making good use of what is available in the moment. Different questions and conversations in a meeting room, flipcharts if technology fails.
Strategic planning
✅ Vision without implementation can leave the chili at home. We had the vision (great meals), but we missed an implementation detail (the actual food). Similarly, organizations often do an excellent job of creating a vision and goals. However, goals only become reality when supported by actions, responsibilities, resources, timelines, and measures.
✅ Assumptions can be sneaky. We assumed the chili was packed because we had made it. Organizations frequently assume that everyone understands priorities, knows their role, or is implementing the plan in the same way. Unchecked assumptions can leave important gaps.
We didn’t need chili to have a successful camping trip. We needed the ability to adapt when the plan met reality.
By the way, the chili was delicious on the first night back home.
