Overview 
In order for any
business to end the
year successfully,
it must have begun
the year properly
by establishing achievable goals at the
micro and macro levels. Setting a clear
course toward those goals includes
gathering accurate formative and
summative measures of success and
maintaining the flexibility to anticipate
and adapt to the unknown. A leader
who is clear on the direction of the
organization will more easily maneuver
around possible bumps in the road
ahead.
Given there are a multitude of factors
influencing organizational success, not
the least of which include developing
human capital, usefulness of procedures
and policies, growing market share, and
coping with the inevitable unknowns,
how can a business effectively set
broad goals, chart its course, and act
accordingly?
The simple answer to that question
is in effective strategic planning and
purposeful implementation. However,
like anything this important, a
simplistic answer does not adequately
express the depth and breadth of the
task at hand. To complete a thoughtful
strategic plan, as well as implement this
plan successfully, takes time and effort.
The basics of writing and implementing
a successful strategic plan are as
follows:
Clarifying Your Core Values
Prior to writing a strategic plan,
an organization needs to ascertain
and communicate its guiding beliefs.
Core values precede strategy because
they represent what the organization
believes in. They clarify its purpose;
why it exists.
Ask the Following:
- What do we value and
believe about our organization, our
responsibilities, our people, and our work?
- Why are we here doing what we do?
Creating Your Organizational Vision
Next, through representative
leadership, the organization must have
a vision. The vision establishes what
the organization will be, do, know, and
look like in the future. In this phase,
it is wise to be bold. Use consensusbuilding
communication techniques,
such as wall charts or document sharing
applications to mutually develop where
your organization will be by the end of
the coming years.
Ask the Following:
- Where do we want to be in one to
two years? (Be VERY specific.)
Scaffolding Your Strategic Plan
Now that there is mutual agreement
on your direction toward a clear
destination, it is time to formulate the
means to get there. Once the picture of
the future has been created, it is best to
work backward to determine what has
to be changed today in order to reach
tomorrow.
The strategic plan itself will be in
the form of a living document that will
likely evolve throughout the year as
new information unfolds, but overall
its focus will remain the same if the
strategies were founded on accurate
baseline information. Developing
specific incremental steps to get to
your future destination should include
clear measures of success along the
way. Further considerations should
include environmental factors, physical
plants and facilities, competition,
potential threats and opportunities,
and any other existing parameters or
limitations.
Ask the Following:
- Given our long-term vision, what
factors will influence our success?
Implementing the Plan and Assessing
Progress Toward Goals
Ask the Following:
- How will our leadership,
management, and/or supervisory staffs
make meaning of this plan in its entirety?
(This is a macro point of view.)
- How
will each individual and department on a
micro level respond to this plan?
- What human capital and talents will be
required to meet these strategic goals?
- Who will review the procedures,
systems, policies, environments and
resources that must be changed in
order to best support our people to
achieve these goals and objectives?
Aligning Individual and Department
Objectives with Organizational Goals
Organizational goals and outcomes
are useless if the people within the
organization do not fully support
and “own” them. This may seem
obvious, but in our role as professional
consultants and objective observers we
often hear leaders say one thing and
go in one direction only to witness the
employees saying something else and
going in an entirely different direction.
Ask the Following:
- What concrete evidence do
we have that our people, processes,
procedures and programs are aligned
with our vision and our strategic plan?
- How often and in what ways do we need
to revisit the vision and strategic plan in
order to ensure successful commitment to
its goals at all levels?
Strategic Plan Implementation
Most organizations we consult
with have well-written strategic
plans housed in fancy binders, but
often these plans are not utilized
because the leadership and the
line staff don’t know how, or aren’t
motivated to implement the plan.This happens for any number of
reasons. But, regardless of why, if an
organization doesn’t intend to refer
to the strategic plan regularly, ensure
its effective implementation, follow
its recommendations or at least hire
a consulting firm to help to make its
goals a reality within the organization,
then it would be wiser not to even
start the process in the first place.
If your strategic plan is just sitting
on a shelf gathering dust, or your
individual or departmental goals are not
aligned with the organizational vision,
it might be because of these reasons:
- The organization’s goals and
objectives are too vague.
- No one feels
“ownership” of this document or
process.
- Leadership and management don’t
regularly communicate and revisit
the vision or demonstrate the value
of the strategic plan.
- NOTE: This "de-valuing"
may be due to the mistaken belief
that strategic planning is only an
executive-level function.
- The strategic plan’s components aren’t
directly related to or aligned with
individual performance expectations
and objectives.
- Individual and departmental goals are
not aligned with organizational vision
and goals because communication
or trust issues exist within the
organization.
- There is little or no reinforcement and
monitoring of progress toward macro
or micro goals because these features
are not clearly delineated within the
plan.
Becoming a Wise and Innovative Leader
Unfortunately, many leaders don’t
recognize obstacles until after the
fact. But, make no mistake about it:
It’s the CEO’s job, the business owner’s
job, and the department manager’s
job to not only chart the course, but
also anticipate challenges. In highly
competitive markets this is not only
good business, it is crucial to survival.
And those leaders who have the
experience and wisdom to be innovative
and proactive will find success beyond
their reactionary peers. Through
thoughtful strategic planning and
implementation, your organization can
make it to the next level.
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Kelly Graves is a business management consultant and the founder of Chico-based Internal Business Solutions, Inc. Consulting. He specializes in individual and organizational development. He consults with local and national organizations in both the public and private sectors. Additional information about Kelly and his consulting services can be found online at www.ProfitWithIBS.com, by e-mail Kelly@ProfitWithIBS.com or by calling (530) 321-5309; toll-free: 1-800-704-3785.
