Send to KindleI like to ask people if they know their company’s mission. Some give a somewhat decent rendition of what they think is the mission statement, some just say they don’t know, some mutter some platitude about customer service, and a few look at me like I was from Mars. For some reason I’m still amazed at how few people know their company’s actual mission. When I’m feeling especially brave, I’ll ask what their company’s goals are. At that point, some employees are ready to call security.
Of course I believe in strategic planning because I’ve seen what a good strategic plan, well executed, can do for organizations. It may sound odd, but I’m a very strong believer in strategic planning because I’ve seen the results when bad planning fails. In those cases, organizations have either approached the process incorrectly, or have completed a plan and then not really implemented it. In that failure, not only is a great potential squandered, but those in the organization who observe the failure are left believing the process is flawed and therefore not worthy of any additional time or effort.
There are a couple of principles that make strategic planning work, and when ignored, make it fail. These principles are not very complicated, but neglecting them is like building an entire car but leaving out the spark plugs: you end up with something that looks shiny and new, but doesn’t really do anything.
The first of these principles is, don’t make it harder than it needs to be. There are several models for good strategic planning. Of course I like mine the best, but others can be effective too. What doesn’t work are models that make the process complex and convoluted. Generally, you should be able to create a good plan for your organization in about 8 hours or less. Surprised? Don’t be. In fact, a planning process that takes longer than that is probably a sign of trouble. I’ve seen planning processes that never seem to end, and they usually don’t produce a useful product.
The second principle is communication. I’m amazed at how many people, who are often the ones responsible for the work that will achieve the organization’s goals, don’t know what those goals are! In order for a strategic plan to work, everyone in the organization must know 1) what the plan is and 2) what part they play in implementing the plan. Leaders must not keep the plan a secret. In fact, I advocate communicating the plan to customers and suppliers as well. They are also part of accomplishing goals and so they need to know what they are. There’s another part to this communication. Let people know the organization’s progress in implementing plans and reaching goals. That reinforces their feeling of being part of making it happen, but also lets everyone know that the organization’s leadership is serious about actually implementing the plan; it isn’t just something to tack on the bulletin board or hang on the wall.
A good strategic plan, well executed, is a rocket ship to success, but, if poorly executed even a good plan is a waste of time.
