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By Phil Eastman
I had a very interesting experience the other day. A client we have been working with in the development of a strategic plan asked me to provide an overview of both our planning process and the results of their planning efforts to the senior executive in the organization. This was the first time that any group within their organization had participated in strategic planning and so my client asked me to share, as part of my presentation, why strategic planning is important. I have to admit that I was caught off guard with the request. Strategic planning has been part of our consulting work for nine years. Prior to that, I assisted in countless strategic planning sessions as a banker. As part of the loan process, I regularly reviewed strategic plans for my customers in order to make loans. However when asked, “why is strategic planning important?” I had to pause. Fortunately the answers were not far away but it was a
good exercise for me to have to articulate the reasons for
strategic planning. The word strategy is derived from the
Greek word strategia which roughly means “the art
of generals.” So strategic planning is the work of
leadership. That means that there must be some
overriding reasons to engage in the “art of generals.”
Here are ours:
To articulate the organization’s overall direction.
When I was young, there used to be a sign along the highway that said: “Lost? Keep going you are making good time.” Sometimes organizations are like that. Not every road an organization takes is the right road and the planning process should help create and, more often than not, articulate the organization’s direction. To effectively and efficiently reach the organization’s
vision.
Part of articulating a direction is clarifying the vision for the organization. Once this is clear then there must be way to effectively and efficiently reach that vision. A strong plan and planning process are integral to that effort. To prioritize and align limited resources between
competing needs.
There isn’t an organization that I know of that has unlimited resources. As such, it is critical that there is a plan (even one that is loosely constructed) to provide for how the organization will choose between competing priorities. To focus on needed improvements in critical
business areas.
The planning process should foster open and honest discussions at all levels of the organization, about what is and is not working well. A good planning process and plan helps the leadership focus on those areas that are strong but need strengthening as well as those areas that are weak and need improving. To improve our chances of reaching our desired
results.
I believe in results. Few things are as motivating to people as producing results that are meaningful. For some organizations results are financial while for others they are non financial. There is no plan that can guarantee results but the probability of success is substantially enhanced with a solid strategic plan. So here are the five reasons we believe strategic planning
is necessary.
As you consider planning for your organization, I invite you
to call and discuss how our Purpose Driven
Performance planning process can help shape your
organization’s future.
Phil Eastman is the founder and
president of
Leadership Advisors Group, a Boise-based
consulting firm. Phil combines more than 25
years of leadership experience with his passion
for consulting, coaching, and teaching to develop
leaders, build teams, and improve performance.
It is his desire to enhance leadership
effectiveness for all of his clientele.
Phil earned a Bachelors of Business Administration
degree in Management and Organization from Idaho State
University. He is a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking
School at the University of Washington where he is also
an instructor. Phil also holds a Master of Arts degree in
Theological Studies from Bethel Seminary.
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Leadership Advisors Group will help you
and your organization succeed by:
You are receiving this email from Leadership
Advisors Group because you are a valued
client, have requested information regarding our
services, or you are part of a highly respected
organization. To ensure that you continue to
receive emails from us, please add
phil@leadershipadvisors.com to
your address book.
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"I run because it's symbolic of life. You have to drive
yourself to overcome the obstacles...you find, you're
capable of so much more than you thought." ~ Arthur
Blank
 Phil Eastman & Lorene Rasmussen
Leadership Advisors Group
email:
phil@leadershipadvisors.com
phone:
(208) 344-0471
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