Planning can be Fun

Strategic planning for organizations is not considered fun. It is often done under duress because it is required. Planning is important yet many such plans are found on bookcases, not on the desktops being used. Done well, a strategic plan provides a useful focus that energizes and moves the organization toward its mission goals, plus it provides a document to recruit others to the mission. In short, a plan is a valuable guide to focus time, talent, and resources in running a successful enterprise.

A Better Way to Plan

How do we plan vacations? We read travel brochures and magazines to imagine fun places to visit. There is energy in the process in planning a vacation. Where’s the energy in strategic planning? The creative step that envisions possibilities and generates energy is generally missing. To think before planning is a logical one, yet planning processes devote insufficient think time prior to planning. The desire to get a plan completed quickly relegates thinking to filling in blanks on work sheets. Instead, when key stakeholders are invited to a creative thinking step, it engages and energizes all participants. This is where new ideas are generated, where innovative possibilities are visualized, and where the stage is set for implementation success. The more stakeholders are involved in the thinking and exploration, the more emotional and intellectual energy they have invested and the higher the probability that implementation will occur successfully.

Strategic Thinking and Exploration

A strategic plan should not be solely an incremental one of current activities, but have at least a 20% ‘ah ha’ factor of new ideas. Otherwise, a linear incremental plan will do little more than maintain status quo, like treading water. With this premise, the pre-planning stages need to include creative and innovative thinking. This stage should be one of exploring possibilities without constraint, a stimulating and enjoyable part of planning. Thus think new ideas, explore them, and align them with the purpose of the organization.

Think. Questions at this first stage should be expansive, akin to brainstorming ideas, yet focused around the following: Where is the industry or business heading? What do customers want or need next year and beyond? Using creative thinking methods, the team should consider all manner of ideas, including crazy ones. Here is one sequence of questions to ask:
a. What are the trends in the industry or business sector?
b. Given the trends, what are three new ideas one can add to one’s best product/services?
c. Given the trends, what products or services should one change or eliminate?
d. Given the trends, what new products or services should one consider?

Explore. For each set of ideas, expand them and explore their potential to position one’s organization at a new plateau of success. During this stage, it is important to avoid discussing the feasibility or cost of an idea. Continue the brainstorming mode. Constraints will be considered in the planning stage. Here are some questions for exploring ideas:
a. What criteria should one use to decide a good from a great idea?
b. If implemented, which ideas will distinguish one from other businesses?
c. If we take action on any specific idea, what will be the impact (both positive and negative) for taking action? What if no action is taken? Any impact?
d. What could add at least 20% more value to one’s current products and services? The 20% is somewhat arbitrary. Pick a number. How much change is expected in the business environment the next 12 months? The goal is to continue to grow to at least keep up with the shifting competitive environment.

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