Summary:

Planning a vacation is a lot like strategic planning. When planning a vacation, you have to consider who’s going with you; what you’re going to do; when you’re going to go; where you’re going to go; why you’re going in the first place; and, how you’re going to get there. In other words, the five W’s and an H (who, what, when, where, why, and how). These same questions need to be addressed in strategic planning.

As the leader of the organization, you’re the driver or pilot, or engineer (depending on the mode of transportation you select) and the members of the organization are on board (hopefully) and going along for the ride.

Article Quote:

“If you want to have the best success with the strategic direction of your organization, get the members involved in the process of setting the direction and then communicate all the details of where you’re going, how you’re getting there, why it’s important to go there… you know… the five W’s and an H.”

Link:http://www.firehouse.com/blog/rgasaway/strategic-planning-vacation-planning

After you have identified the five W’s and and H, the next step is to get everyone on board with the plan. This, of course is much easier said than done. First, management needs to believe in the plan and show commitment to it because without this commitment, employees are likely to not feel its importance.

To effectively execute the plan, management needs to translate the plan into actionable steps that can be measured. These steps need to be practical enough to be input in each employee’s daily to-do list as these tasks correlate to overall objectives.

For more on strategic planning, see http://www.performancesolutionstech.com/category/strategicplanning/

Summary:

The way to think strategically is to identify your important longer-term goals, then deploy your means – resources, capabilities, time and energy in order to achieve these objective that lead you like stepping-stones towards the desired result. You will notice that by setting  these intermediate targets and objectives of goals signifies that you have moved beyond strategic thinking and into strategic planning.

With creative strategic thinking it is essential to draw upon the whole “collective wisdom” of the organization by utilizing the diversity of thoughts and ideas of your organization. This “collective wisdom” should not be confined to only those in operational or team leadership role.

Article Quote:

“Means can be seen as creative resources and capabilities, throwing us new ends. In creative strategic thinking of this kind, it is essential that members of an organization, not just those in senior leadership roles, can themselves think creatively and strategically.”

Link:http://www.offlinexfactorreview.com/creative-strategic-thinking-for-your-leadership-role/

When individuals begin thinking strategically, the entire organization benefits. Unfortunately, getting everyone in the organization to think strategically is a challenge that many in leadership avoid.

Enhancing the ability to think strategically involves overcoming the fear of failure, taking incremental steps, and making a commitment -setting a good example – so others will follow you. Furthermore, leadership should not wait for the ideal moment to execute the plan as that can lead to missed opportunity.

For more on strategic planning, see http://www.performancesolutionstech.com/category/strategicplanning/