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Six Greatest Ideas for Building Creative Plans • 137

on holiday children have an equal voice, they can say where they want to go, but
they certainly don't have a vote.

The account manager's neck is on the block, so in extreme cases he or she may
have to use some assertiveness to get to a satisfactory conclusion. In practice there
are rarely problems in this area. The team is pleased to be part of the planning
process and will normally get amicably to the necessary consensus.

100 per cent agreement

Allied to the above is the rule of 100 per cent agreement. Read literally this means
that no part of the plan is firm until all members of the team have agreed with it.

It is important. Most planning sessions produce new directions and new activi-
ties for all of the members of the team. In many cases these will be in addition to or
different from the activities which the team member has underway.

If the momentum of the plan is to be kept up and the new directions imple-
mented, it is vital that everyone agrees and that the timescales and resources have
been accurately forecast.

If this rule goes wrong, you will find that people are not disagreeing with a part
of the plan only because they have in fact no intention of carrying out their role in it.
'They can write it up if they want, it ain't going to happen.'

Do not duck issues

Following on the 100 per cent agreement, a successful planning session tables and
discusses all the key issues surrounding the plan. Here are some examples of issues
that are frequently ducked.