Those of us who have led or participated in classic strategic planning processes are familiar with crafting a mission, clarifying the overarching vision, doing a SWOT analysis, setting targets and goals, and identifying key stakeholders who will shape or be impacted by the plan.
Seems like a fairly essential and straightforward process. Virtually any group or organization worth its salt has such a plan, for-profit and non-profit alike.
So why do so many planning processes seem to fail, trapped inside yet another 3-ring binder on the shelf? Why do so many teams take so little action implementing what took so much effort to create?
Here are some questions to help diagnose your experience with planning:
Do we shape the plan or does the plan shape us? Seems like the plan becomes the master, not the tool. Rigid planning that focuses just on hitting numbers soon becomes a taskmaster that stifles creativity. Everyone bows to worship the plan. “Well, we probably need to do this…it’s in the plan.”
Did we follow the dictum, “CLARITY FIRST!” or did we race to create a plan? Are we really clear about our mission and vision? Do we really know what we are becoming and striving for? Most groups and teams create a “Vision Statement” or “Mission Statement” so they have something to hang on the wall, put on a golf shirt, or stencil on a coffee mug. But it often lacks clarity and rarely reflects the soul of the organization. Ask your key stakeholders for honest feedback – see if they can articulate how clear and focused you really are.
Are we leading by passion or vision? Organizations led simply by passion – what’s hot, new, trendy, urgent, cool – actually become stagnant in the long run. Every month or year it’s a new cause, more hype, tacky slogans, and more change that does not line up with the core vision. Employees, volunteers, and clients all get weary and vote with their feet. I was part of such an organization and watched senior leaders lose vision, lack clarity, and ultimately watch the interest of their target audience diminish. It is the result of replacing vision casting with passion casting.
Are we thinking beyond ourselves? Ram Charan, a Dallas-based consultant to many successful organizations, encourages groups to ask themselves these 6 questions in an article, Sharpening Your Business Acumen:
- What is happening in the world today?
- What does it mean for others?
- What does it mean for us?
- What would have to happen first (for the results we want to occur)?
- What do we have to do to play a role?
- What do we do next?
In your organization, church, or team, take some time to reflect on these questions. The world is changing and, more than ever, leaders are called to think beyond themselves and the immediate needs of their organizations.
It’s time to move beyond passion casting on the one hand, and rigid planning on the other. It is time for fresh, flexible thinking guided by core convictions and clear, collaborative action so that we all can move in the same direction together.
Sounds like a plan.
