Articles tagged "Strategic Planning"
Think Strategically - Ask Tough Questions
One of the questions I’m initially asked by a new strategic planning client is, “How will we know what we’re supposed to focus on with our new plan?” Well, the easy answer is, “You’ll focus on what you need to focus on,” but the more appropriate answer is, “You’ll focus on what your answers to some critical questions tell you to focus on.” Now you may be thinking, “Those sound like a couple of non-answers and they don’t sound strategic at all.”
Strategic Planning - Understanding Strategic Versus Operational
We’re now in the midst of the traditional strategic planning season. Given that, we’re partnering with several organizations whose planning teams are working hard to outline a clear, focused path forward for their respective organizations. For leaders who have previously experienced the strategic planning process, this process can be frustrating, stimulating, demoralizing, and energizing all at the same time. However, for leaders who struggle to comprehend the need to define and capture new strategic initiatives while not documenting and tracking oppressive current operations, the strategic planning process can be perplexing to say the least. Being able to understand and accept the difference in strategic versus complex operational actions is key to successful strategic planning.
Stay True to Your Plan
It’s been a few months since you and your team put the finishing touches on your organization’s exciting, challenging, and let’s be honest, pretty amazing strategic plan. So what’s happened since you all high-fived one another and ‘finished’ that project? Have you moved the plan forward? Have you focused on it each day? Has it become a guide for your leadership and team actions? Or, have you already lost sight of what you and the team determined was needed to strategically move your organization to greater success?
How Valuable Is Your Time?
How valuable is your time? I’m not asking what your hourly pay or rate is, but rather, how important is your time to you in ensuring your organization’s success? An indication of how much you value your time is how you use it. As leaders, our intentional use of our time is indicative of what is most important to us as leaders. An organization’s strategic priorities are highlighted by which strategies and programs receive proper funding and management, and which do not. A leader’s priorities are highlighted by which issues, opportunities, projects, and people receive attention and which do not.
Leadership 360s Should NOT Stand Alone
A CEO called because after two years in his role, his executive team was performing well, but they weren’t ‘gelling.’ Work was getting done, but at times it seemed random and chaotic. Though collegial and highly qualified, his senior team didn’t work well together, and as a result, the work throughout the organization was disjointed and becoming more siloed. “I’ve used Leadership 360s with prior teams in other organizations, and they’ve proven to be a good tool in identifying where we each need to hone our skills,” he said, “I think they can help my current team too.” I assured him they could. But an assessment alone wasn’t going to address his team’s challenges.
