By Sondra Calhoun
Have you found your organization working in multiple directions, confused about priorities, unsure of what the future will look like, or struggling to engage your people? Do you have a solid strategic plan that EVERYONE in the organization understands and supports every day? We work with many organizations who “know” that strategic planning is critical to long term and short-term success, but many do not have any formal process for creating strategic plans or for executing on them. We find ourselves supporting them in their planning process and execution more and more because it is the very roadmap by which the executive team rallies around, identifies as a first team, and finds their shared responsibility. This truly makes us happy and excited for them as we see their visions unified, the daunting tasks simplified, and energy magnified throughout the organization as everyone gains clarity and passion for the future.
There are a lot of great strategic planning processes out there such as “Scaling Up” by Gazelles, or EOS which is explained in “Traction” by Gino Wickman. They have many steps in common such as knowing your mission, 3-year plan, 1 year vision, corporate values, strengths, weaknesses, trends, key initiatives, and how to drive conversations that support effective execution. When done well, the strategic plan provides clear guidance on priorities, the resources needed to accomplish them, and recognition of challenges that will get in the way. Most organizations would agree that these are great things to know and play a critical role in their success. So, we ask ourselves, “why do so many not spend the time, effort, and resources to make strategic planning and execution a critical priority?”
We believe the lack of formal strategic planning and execution is a result of not really grasping all the major benefits gained and pitfalls avoided. Let’s start with:
- Painting the Big Picture that everyone can be a part of
- Creating clear and effective alignment throughout the entire organization
- Defining the role of the executive team and guiding their conversations
- Experiencing synergy across all departments
- Providing hope and commitment for the future of the organization
- Reducing distractions to the mission
- Allocating resources to the right work
- Initiating celebrations when milestones are achieved
- Identifying when the organization needs to pivot
- Giving everyone a common language to connect and rally around
It takes continual focus, effort, dedication, and unity to deliver well, and it is worth it even if you only benefit from half of these points. Maybe you are in the middle of your fiscal year, and you are thinking “we should do this next year.” Why wait? Get started even if it is only a 6-month plan. Whether you have done strategic planning in the past, never done formal strategic planning, failed or fell short on execution, it’s time to recommit to building the map that will lead you to the treasure of success.