How Do You Know When Your Strategic Planning Isn’t Working?
Three tell-tale signs
Posted on 07-23-2018, Read Time: Min
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The purpose of a strategic plan is to provide direction – to move your organization forward toward its ultimate vision of success. When everything goes right, it can breathe new life in an organization and lead to a powerful transformation. In other words, it’s a good thing.
However, when things go wrong in the process, it can have disastrous results, and much of the fallout can land on the doorstep of the HR department to clean it up. So, how do you know when your strategic planning isn’t working? Here are three tell-tale signs that you may be in for a rocky ride:
1. You Have More Questions Than Answers
Not everyone has the same definition of strategic planning, so it is important to explain the process and set expectations from the start, including expected outcomes. For instance, a complete strategic planning process should include the following outcomes at a minimum:
- A summary of your organization’s historical performance, its performance compared to your market and competitors, and the status of the key drivers of your current business model.
- A summary of your beliefs about the future and key strategic issues/questions to be addressed for future success.
- A clear vision of what future success looks like including your desired impact or mission statement.
- The core strategies you will use to achieve your vision.
- Your strategic direction (a path defined by milestones) that you will execute to progress from today to the vision.
- Clear near-term next steps to begin implementation and to provide the ability to track the progress in the new direction.
If your planning process is not set up to deliver all of these results, it is incomplete, and it will raise more questions than it answers
2. Widely Different Views of Priorities
For the strategic planning process to be transformational, the whole organization must be engaged in making a change. Communication is a vital component in this effort to ensure everyone knows what to expect and what to do to make the right changes. When communication is secretive, limited to a few, or too general, the process can break down quickly.For example, even when the new strategic direction is shared with departments, if specific guidance and constant feedback is not a part of the rollout, each department may implement the plan differently. So, when it is time to pull it all together, instead of creating a cohesive story of evolution, the plans are disjointed at best, divisive at their worst. This can cause some teams to abandon the new direction completely and return to the status quo stopping any real momentum on strategic goals.
While every detail does not have to be communicated, it is important for the architects of the plan to stay involved and communicate their vision at all levels so that everyone stays on the same page during the implementation process. Then progress (even the smallest steps) can be acknowledged, encouraged and celebrated. Change needs support, and strategic transformation needs the stewardship of its leaders.
3. Decisions That Don’t Stick
Planning discussions generate many ideas – the challenge is to explore, evaluate and convert these ideas into a plan for future success. When planning forums fail to define clear milestones that adequately stage and phase how ideas will be implemented it is a strong sign that these ideas won’t stick because too much is left to chance.When inadequate time is given to vet a new direction, to identify trade-offs required to take on new ideas, or to modify them to fit current capabilities or resources, ideas can get lost in the process. And, when the various teams are left to fill in the gaps, many will follow the path of least resistance. At this point, priorities can flip and leadership may be characterized as unable to make a decision and stick to it.
Strategic planning is a good thing. When done right, it is a great thing. But the success of the process starts at the top. When top management stays involved from ideation to implementation and dedicates the time to fully build out their strategic plan, they smooth the path to strategic success.
They also increase the probability that the plan will be truly transformational for their organization - in a really great way.
Author Bio
| Cecilia Lynch, a seasoned strategist, author and the leading authority on strategic thinking. Ms. Lynch is the founder, CEO and chief strategist at Focused Momentum®, creator of Strategy Class® and author of “Strategic Focus: The Art of Strategic Thinking” a groundbreaking work that demystifies the overwhelming task of developing a strategic plan. Ms. Lynch was recognized early in her career for her unique approach to strategic leadership as an executive of the wildly successful brand Dockers®. Now, after two decades of developing highly successful strategic plans for corporations and non-profits, she is making developing strategy available to everyone with Strategy Class®. Connect Cecilia Lynch Visit www.focusedmomentum.com Follow @focusedmomentum |
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