The Importance of Strategic Planning

I have had the pleasure of working with many successful businesses and non-profits over the past three decades. One of the luxuries of working in the media business is you have the privilege of getting to know many of these leaders and learn about what makes them and their business tick. My experience has been that the majority of these leaders are very passionate and knowledgeable about their craft, and the successful ones most often always have a strategic plan that they follow – they don’t fly by the seat of their pants.

When businesses or non-profits become challenged is when they don’t have a strategic plan. Things get bumpy and they get lost. Look at a strategic plan like a road map to get you to point A to point B. It’s an opportunity to look at your values, set goals and establish a strong mission and vision statement. Where do you strive to take the business in the next year ? Three years? Five years down the road? What opportunities exist for the business and what threats could it possibly experience? In this ever changing world, goals need to be defined and there needs to be measurable action plans to make sure those objectives come to fruition. It’s also very important to have voices from all parts of your organization and not just from leadership. Buy-in from the team is imperative and is the key to executing a successful plan.

Successful businesses and non-profits don’t fly by the seat of their pants – they are all passionate about what they do and have rock solid strategic plans that they create and execute. Yes, strategic plans can be very daunting and you may need to hire a professional strategic planning facilitator, or a business consultant to guide you and your team through this process. In the end, it will be well worth it as a solid strategic plan will be the roadmap that you will need to guide you and your organization through the obstacles you may experience during your road to success.