Strategic Planning: Planning vs. Action

"Strategic planning" is a fancy phrase, but all it really boils down to is a process that uses both data and real people to develop a system that works for businesses. Leadership plays a large role connecting all the strategic planning you've worked on throughout the year with your plan of action. Unfortunately, these have a tendency to stall somewhere between the planning stage and the execution if your leadership skills are lacking or otherwise buried.

The old-fashioned method of strategic planning consisted of a staff meeting or two, with a cross-section of leaders from each department collaborating on a report that yielded a list of company goals or other related material. Once the report was written and formatted, it would be filed away and forgotten forever. Considering that the definition of insanity is often quoted as the act of repeating something with the expectation of a different outcome, returning to this old-fashioned method makes no sense at all.

So what should you do instead? Think of your strategic planning phase as a new beginning for your company. Such plans should be put into practice with the expectation that change will be introduced through them, not separate from them. As a leader, you should be fully-and visibly-involved in the implementation of these changes, so your employees see you taking charge of the situation.

It sounds easy, but the truth is most corporations in existence today have trouble with any sort of change. It comes with the territory; if something seems to be working, the company sees no need to shift or change the formula in any way. Eventually a sort of paralysis takes hold, and when the time for change does arrive, the company is unprepared to deal with it. If you, as a leader in your organization, understand the fundamental need for businesses to change and adapt to the changing times, you'll be ready to meet these challenges head-on as they arise and keep things within the company fluid enough to tackle the shifting sands of supply and demand.

You won't just be an integral part of the planning process, but you also need to be visible in the execution stage of the plan. Use the material you've gathered so far as a guideline for future behavior, both on your own behalf and that of your staff. If the employees see you taking the changes seriously, they'll be far more inclined to do so themselves. By setting the example, you also set the tone for your department.

If you don't provide a solid example of leadership for both your employees and your company, your strategic plan will die long before it ever gets the chance to come alive. Acting as an effective leader will help propel the corporation out of any paralysis it may have fallen into, and towards a new future of adaptability and change.