What is your excuse for not having a living, actionable, updated strategic plan?
We accept the wisdom of the ages that planning for the future is important, yet many of us are reluctant to invest the time, energy and resources into planning for our business success.
Strategic planning is essential to your business, but we have lots of plausible excuses for why we do not plan:
- Entrepreneurs may say “I could never have planned for the success that my business is today. I had to make the most of opportunities that came along, so why should I limit my business to what I know or don’t know today?”
- Corporate types may think strategic plans are the classic three ring binder that some consultant develops and that promptly goes on the shelf to get dusty and represents a complete waste of time and resources.
- We may be lulled into the feeling that “things are going well and are better left alone.”
- Business leaders and their teams may hold their personal points of view too tightly to allow for robust thought and discussion, not willing to risk divisiveness.
Strategic planning is hard work when done right.
Turning that plan into action is even harder.
And holding each other accountable is even harder than that.
So why waste our energy just to be disappointed later?
Yes, circumstances change. Your plan will need to respond and adapt.
Yes, you may not have a clear vision of the future. Yet intentionally recognizing that truth will help you understand what you need to investigate and learn.
Yes, strategic planning without execution is worthless. But without a plan, what are you intentionally achieving?
Yes, your business may be going well. But for how long, or could it be going even better?
Yes, you may have to face conflict in your leadership team. But actively addressing and working on leadership alignment will allow the best ideas to be heard and considered.
These are just a few examples of why we may resist planning. What is your excuse for not having a living, actionable, updated strategic plan?
Strategic planning is essential to the on-going health and future success of your business. Your business will evolve or die.
Why not be as intentional about the evolution of your business as you are in the day-to-day operation of your business?
Stay tuned for Part II of this blog series when we discuss how often integrators should conduct strategic planning.
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