Strategy to Empower the American Educator

Empowered came to us with an enormous vision. They had created a successful community of entrepreneurship teachers with limited materials and training resources. But, what they had really done is to create a community of teachers who felt a sense of agency in their career that was far more pronounced than others around them. With community and some guiding principles, they empowered hundreds of teachers. They wanted us to help them scale that impact from 400 to 40,000 over the course of the next five years. It was possible, but it would take a wild shift in operations and one heck of a strategic vision.

We began with a focus group tour in 3 locations, consisting of teachers from all walks of life, subject areas, and grade levels. We polled nearly 100,000 teachers and leaned on great 3rd-party psychological research from Vygotsky and Maslow to bring a new framework to life. Once we had that framework, tested it, and started to language it, it was time to build the strategy to support it.

We worked with Empowered leadership over 6 months of deep-dive, intensive strategy sessions to craft a Narrative Plan that would find scale through efficiencies, technology, peer-to-peer training, culture development through content, and incentive creation. The resulting plan is still in its infancy but has brought them from 400 teachers to 10,000 in just its first year of life. The cost to acquire new teachers has fallen by 78 percent and the likelihood of retention has started to steadily increase. Empowered is giving the teachers of America a voice and it’s paying dividends in the American education system.

When it comes to strategic planning, it’s not enough to simply have a vision for the future. Without a clear and actionable plan, that vision is just a dream. That’s why it’s essential to get tactical in strategic planning, creating work plans, offering Gantt charts, and ensuring everything is prioritized using RICE Prioritization Framework.

In the case of Empowered, they came to us with an enormous vision to scale their impact from 400 to 40,000 teachers over the next five years. However, to achieve this ambitious goal, they needed a clear and actionable plan that could guide their efforts.

Through deep-dive, intensive strategy sessions, we worked with Empowered leadership to craft a Narrative Plan that would find scale through efficiencies, technology, peer-to-peer training, culture development through content, and incentive creation. This plan was not just a high-level vision but a detailed roadmap for action.

By creating work plans, offering Gantt charts, and prioritizing using the RICE Prioritization Framework, we were able to ensure that every aspect of the plan was actionable, measurable, and achievable. This approach allowed Empowered to make progress towards their goals in a structured and systematic way.

The impact of the action plan has been significant, even in its early stages. In just the first year of the plan’s implementation, Empowered was able to grow from 400 to 10,000 teachers. The cost to acquire new teachers fell by 78 percent, and the likelihood of retention has started to steadily increase. By creating a clear and actionable plan, Empowered was able to achieve their ambitious goals and make a real impact on the American education system.

In summary, building an action plan is essential for turning a vision into reality. By getting tactical in strategic planning, creating work plans, offering Gantt charts, and prioritizing using the RICE Prioritization Framework, we can ensure that every aspect of the plan is actionable, measurable, and achievable. The Empowered case study is a testament to the power of an actionable plan and demonstrates the impact that a clear and structured roadmap can have on an organization.