DENVER, Jan. 25, 2012 — Large companies miss opportunities for growth and profits if they fail to create effective strategic planning meetings, says strategic planning meeting facilitator Mary C. Kelly, Ph.D. and author of 360 Degrees of Leadership.
"Many organizations desperately need a strategic planning session. They may want better vision, team cohesion, or new products. Most companies hold meetings, hoping that some strategic planning will magically emerge. This is unrealistic," said Kelly, a renowned economist and leadership expert specializing in improving business efficiency and maximizing available resources.
"People ask 'What is strategic planning?' Strategic planning is envisioning the future of the company or organization, translating that vision into measurable and achievable goals, and then implementing long-range planning to accomplish those goals. Strategic planning works with the ultimate goal in mind," says Kelly.
The strategic planning meeting process differs from long-term planning. Long-term planning is defining the series of steps along the path to achieve the vision. "Strategic planning considers overarching plans far into the future, and transcends all aspects of the organization," according to Kelly.
Strategic planning is often ignored because 1) it asks people to think and work beyond the scope of their defined roles; 2) it requires that departments work with other departments in new and cooperative ways; 3) it means people who previously did not consider consequences beyond their scope of responsibilities do so; and 4) it forces thinking of possibilities far into the future.
"For many people, just getting through the workday and managing their daily responsibilities is taxing enough. Thinking about where the future of the organization will be 5 and 10 and 20 years in the future, maybe long after they are collecting a pension, seems unnecessary and irrelevant," acknowledges Kelly, who has extensive experience in human resources, finance, insurance, organizational leadership, strategic planning, and project development.
Creating a strategic planning session is not the same as the weekly planning meeting. It takes times, energy, patience and commitment. It also takes open-minded vision and foresight.
Companies can achieve these goals if they create a strategic summit.
Kelly offers 3 tips for developing your strategic planning meeting:
1. Start with a common ideology. Start with about 5 minutes on the future of the organization and ask for ideas on "what we could do if…" For some, this is a review, but it gets everyone thinking about their role in and value to the organization, and the future of them in the organization. A shared experience, even for a few minutes, accomplishes this. It gets everyone thinking creatively about their relationship with their supervisor and employees.
2. Identify the real reasons you are in business. Define what makes your company, product, or organization unique. Ask the group questions such as: "Why did you first want to work with us?" "What attracts you to the mission of this organization?" "What is it we do here that makes you want to be part of this team?" In Simon Sinek's The Power of Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, he articulates why some companies such as Apple and Harley Davidson manage to create such a definitive brand and a loyal customer base by defining first and foremost why they are in business.
3. Identify challenges. Many companies don't want to hear about problems. They hide or gloss over issues, mistakenly hoping that the problems will disappear on their own. Many organizations inadvertently discourage problem solving because they punish the people who identify the areas of needed improvement and potential growth. Companies tend to resist changes because mistakes can be costly, or, more likely, "It is the way we've always done it." If managers and leaders don't identify problems, they cannot solve them. Create the vision. Brainstorm on where the company should or could be in 5, 10 or 20 years. Formulate a plan for the matriculation of the next generation of leaders. One important question is "Who is going to lead this organization in 20 years, and what are we doing to help those leaders now?" Think of new products and how they will be used in the future. When things seem impossible, then you have probably crafted a vision.
Good companies and organizations embrace change to move forward, stay current, and constantly strive to exceed their customers' expectations, reinforces Kelly, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. Kelly has trained over 20,000 military and civilian personnel in multi-cultural environments around the world. Her specialties are in human resources, logistics, intelligence, and security, and she uses that background to bring efficiencies into business.
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