When Strategic Planning Goes Wrong

Strategic planning is usually a step in the right direction for any business that wants to advance on the global economic stage. Seldom, however, do intangible plans and ideas become a reality without a few realistic bumps along the way.

The very term "strategic planning" describes a process that acts as the foundation for all organization-related functions, helping both to clarify positions and staff decisions, and to delineate the company's objectives. In theory, it keeps your staff abreast of every update within the company, whether it's related to financial matters or a simple personnel change. Unfortunately, this theory doesn't always translate well into real life.

The reasons for a breakdown in the process of a company's strategic planning can be numerous, but one of the most often-repeated mistakes is when it's seen as something temporary-an isolated occurrence, like a brainstorming session or motivational meeting. Thus it has no permanence, and its impact vanishes just as fast.

One proven method for preventing and/or fixing this problem is to immediately anchor it to your other organizational efforts as an integral process, not a side issue or an afterthought. Strategic planning is a long-term goal, and the sooner you begin to view it as such the faster it will take a firmer hold in reality. Let the management complete its strategic plan for the year, then make sure the other departments are on board and stick with that plan for the entire year. If need be, hold a monthly meeting to ensure everyone is on the same page and avoid any unpleasant surprises at the most inopportune times.

When the results of a strategic planning session are given a sense of permanence within the company structure, the effects are often immediate, and can be felt throughout each department in rapid succession. You can help move things along by weaving the plan into every aspect of your business: accounting, development, marketing, public relations-every department you can think of, even the mail room. Keep an emphasis on your plan during every departmental meeting and bull session, making it known you expect everyone to follow it.

When everyone is involved in the plan and kept in the loop, you'll discover it will soon become important to every member of your staff. Give everyone the opportunity to understand the importance and significance-not to mention the permanence-behind it. If you can integrate your strategic plan into the fabric of your company rather than treating it as an add-on to your existing business plan, you may discover that it not only works, but it will lead your company to even greater success.