Summary:
Strategic planning and strategic leadership styles vary just as the employees and business owners of companies involved in the planning process vary.
Today, more than ever, the ability to gain instant access to news and information has changed the way many companies do business. However, the necessary skills to effectively manage others has not changed that much. Today’s work force is much less tolerant of bullying by management, and instead are looking for qualified and genuine leaders to work for.
Strategic planning seeks to answer the questions where are we, where do we want to be, and how are we going to get there. When deciding on strategic goals, keep it lean with only one to three goals as this will help keep the plan uncluttered and focused.
Next, come up with a tactical plan that easily translates into daily or weekly tasks. that chip away at the completion of key goals. This step also requires developing a budget to allocate the necessary resources.
Article Quote:
“Strategic planning isn’t just for corporations. Small businesses, even a sole proprietor, benefit from making strategic plans on an annual basis.”
Link: http://www.ilabstech.com/info-blog/strategic-leadership-focuses-your-strategic-planning.html
To insure companies meet their goals, strategic planners include responsibilities, timelines and accountability in the mission statement. Change within the organization is often met with some type of resistance. Therefore, present the plan with clear expectations of each individual so they understand their role in bringing the plan to reality.
For more on strategic planning, see http://www.performancesolutionstech.com/category/strategicplanning/
Summary:
Developing a strategic plan is often a time consuming and unanticipated chore. Yet, without a strategic plan, businesses have no direction in which to point their company and they are left to react to changes instead of having a plan to manage changes as they occur.
After careful analysis of all trends from industry to economic, the organizational structure and the target market, then the mission statement is constructed. For some who do not have the resources of time, money and energy, the mission statement can simply be how much money do you want in your bank account by December 31 of the planning year?
Article Quote:
“Many business people have really bad attitudes about strategic planning even though they believe that strategy is probably a good thing. This is consistent in that most people do not plan their lives less alone their businesses. Plan is really a hidden dirty 4 letter word.”
Link:http://strategicplanning.doodig.com/2010/02/14/strategic-planning-coaching-tip-plan-is-not-a-dirty-four-letter-word/
While this article does a good job of giving a quick overview of strategic planning, I disagree with the validity of the mission statement above. A mission statement states what the purpose of the organization is while a vision statement outlines what/where the organization ultimately wants to be.
Simply stating how much money you would like to see in your account by a certain date is actually more of a goal than a mission statement. More appropriate would be something like this, “Here at XYZ company, we design, manufacture, and install high quality liturgical furniture for all church denominations that reflects the individuality of the communities in which they serve.”
For more on strategic planning, see http://www.performancesolutionstech.com/category/strategicplanning/
Summary:
Not having a strategic plan is the equivalent to setting yourself up for failure, according to Debbie Seidel-Bittke, founder of Dental Practice Solutions. The new year is almost here and if you don’t have your annual strategic planning meeting on the calendar, now is the time to schedule it for you and the entire team. Seidel-Bittke uses the analogy of taking a journey to a new destination without a road map with beginning a new year of business without a strategic plan. She writes that
Get everyone involve in the planning so you have a diverse set of ideas for recognizing opportunities and threats. Moving the plan outside of the office help in keeping the meeting fun. Addressing what has already been accomplished and what needs to be accomplished begins the path for planning objectives.
Article Quote:
“You can not start a business and proceed blindly and just expect that everything will work out and you will achieve great success. It rarely will happen that way. At the very beginning of each year you need to sit down outside the regular dental office atmosphere and make a plan.”
Link: http://www.dentalheroes.com/strategic-plan-dental-practice/
Before you develope a strategic plan, have a clear understanding of what your business’ vision and mission statements are. Keeping these directives at the forefront will keep the plan aligned with the purpose of the business. Implementing a strategic planning and execution software will keep the plan in the minds of every individual in the organization while allowing visibility on what tasks should be completed next, and by whom.
This cohesive approach keeps the plan active and lets management see if any corrective adjustments need to be made. No plan, strategic or otherwise should be set in stone. It needs to remain flexible so that changes can be made quickly.
For more on strategic planning, see http://www.performancesolutionstech.com/category/strategicplanning/