Probably the biggest “rap” against strategic planning is that, all too often, it’s an “academic,” “blue-sky” exercise that doesn’t translate into concrete results in the “real world.”  While we can’t deny there are probably far too many plans gathering dust on too many shelves, we’d contend this isn’t usually the fault of the plan – ... More »

It may sound like the ultimate redundancy, but there’s no denying it:  you can drastically increase your chances of success in your strategic planning efforts by “planning to plan.”  Here’s the point:  you’ll be investing a significant amount of time from the most “expensive” people in your organization in this effort.  Planning to plan ensures ... More »

When you launch a strategic planning effort, one of the first questions you need to answer, of course, is:  “Who should be involved?”  The most typical first response to this question is: “the executive team.”  This usually means the CEO and his or her direct reports.  And, of course, this is a valid answer – ... More »