Like many activities and projects, many organizations enter into
strategic planning in a very limited way. They often treat the process
in much the same manner as they often treat the budget process- that is,
as an exercise rather than a potentially extremely effective tool. In
more than three decades, I have successfully guided numerous
organizations through the vital intricacies of the process, and have
also witnessed many organizations that simply went through the motions
of strategic planning, often merely to be able to say they did so.
Properly done, and performed at consistent regular periods, effective
strategic planning can often be a major factor and difference between a
stagnant and a successful evolving organization. This is not only true as it relates to organizations, but applies to many aspects of our personal lives. If you want to sell or buy a home, what is your plan? What do you want/ need to achieve and what are your top priorities? When you discuss your finances with an adviser, do you discuss overall strategy, with an emphasis on the goals?
We can understand much about strategic planning from sports analogies. Yogi Berra said, "If you don't know where you are going, you are certain to end up somewhere else." While we often laugh at many of what are commonly referred to as "Yogi-isms," this statement points to the need to put down on paper clear cut objectives, and for leaders to have a meaningful vision. By doing this, an organization knows what it wants to accomplish, which is practically speaking, the first step to getting there. Therefore, an organization should break up the strategic planning process into stages. Remember that everything that applies to organizations also applies to your personal approach!
1. The first stage is identifying where an organization (or you are) is, in terms of strengths, weaknesses, goals and objectives.
2. The next step is to clearly examine the existing Mission Statement of the organization, and see if and how it might need to be tweaked (or what your own mission might be)
3. Then, each aspect of the organization must be looked at, including governance, financial/ fiscal, membership, mission, successes and weaknesses, training programs, leadership/ leadership training, staffing needs, programming and events, priorities, etc. (In your own life, how to your financial and personal planning seek an overall goal?)
4. Finally, the strategic plan must morph into a viable action plan, including all relevant time lines, priorities, responsibilities, reviews, and evaluations.
5. Finally, a schedule must be decided upon, where the strategic plan is reviewed, updated and upgraded, if necessary.
The great hockey star, Wayne Gretzky is famous for saying, "I always skate to where I think the puck is going to be." Similarly, organizations (and each of us) must be willing to continuously take their pulse to see both where they are and where they are going to be. This requires an emphasis on having a clear vision for the organization (or yourself), and understanding the significance of continuously evolving an organization to better meet the needs and requirements of its membership. It is not enough to merely talk about strategic planning, but rather there is a clear need to always work to assure that an organization maximizes its potential, and enhances the membership experience.
We can understand much about strategic planning from sports analogies. Yogi Berra said, "If you don't know where you are going, you are certain to end up somewhere else." While we often laugh at many of what are commonly referred to as "Yogi-isms," this statement points to the need to put down on paper clear cut objectives, and for leaders to have a meaningful vision. By doing this, an organization knows what it wants to accomplish, which is practically speaking, the first step to getting there. Therefore, an organization should break up the strategic planning process into stages. Remember that everything that applies to organizations also applies to your personal approach!
1. The first stage is identifying where an organization (or you are) is, in terms of strengths, weaknesses, goals and objectives.
2. The next step is to clearly examine the existing Mission Statement of the organization, and see if and how it might need to be tweaked (or what your own mission might be)
3. Then, each aspect of the organization must be looked at, including governance, financial/ fiscal, membership, mission, successes and weaknesses, training programs, leadership/ leadership training, staffing needs, programming and events, priorities, etc. (In your own life, how to your financial and personal planning seek an overall goal?)
4. Finally, the strategic plan must morph into a viable action plan, including all relevant time lines, priorities, responsibilities, reviews, and evaluations.
5. Finally, a schedule must be decided upon, where the strategic plan is reviewed, updated and upgraded, if necessary.
The great hockey star, Wayne Gretzky is famous for saying, "I always skate to where I think the puck is going to be." Similarly, organizations (and each of us) must be willing to continuously take their pulse to see both where they are and where they are going to be. This requires an emphasis on having a clear vision for the organization (or yourself), and understanding the significance of continuously evolving an organization to better meet the needs and requirements of its membership. It is not enough to merely talk about strategic planning, but rather there is a clear need to always work to assure that an organization maximizes its potential, and enhances the membership experience.
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