Why Your Strategic Planner Should Be a Strategist

I remember being a new employee at an organization where my on-boarding involved attending a full-day strategic planning session for the Board of Directors that never actually produced a strategic plan. The process was relatively rigid and involved brainstorming followed by break-out groups followed by putting things in columns on chart paper that covered most of the free wall space in the room. At the end of the day, all we had to show for it was a Board Member resignation and miles and miles of marker-covered chart paper, still I’m sure in a box somewhere.

The striking part of the process was that I had experienced it in some iteration several times before. Granted, most times the outcome was an 8 ½ x 11 paper version of what was on the chart paper, but with content that was similarly the result of prescribed brainstorms and “check-ins” and break-out groups reporting back on their thoughts, all of which were slotted in the appropriate colour on the appropriate piece of chart paper on one of the meeting room walls. To be sure, there’s nothing inherently wrong with thoughts on chart paper, but solid strategic planning involves drawing out creative, focused thoughts that address organizational barriers, fit with the macro-level environment in which the organization operates, and moves the organization forward in an meaningful way. Otherwise, you’ll be doing what you’ve always done and as my dad loves to say, “then you’re going to get what you always got”.

To avoid the marker and chart paper treadmill, here are some things to consider when engaging in a strategic planning process:

1. Use a process that avoids pathological planning (or doing what you’ve always done to get what you’ve always got). This is especially important when the process involves stakeholders that have been part of the process over many years: you don’t want your strategic planning to recycle the same goals and objectives that the organization has always had, especially if they aren’t being achieved and if they have lost their relevance. In this way, strategic planning is about more than just opinion facilitation: it’s about translating thoughts, ideas, and opinions into relevant strategies that are creative, high-impact, and doable.

2. Don’t let group dynamics have an undue impact on strategic planning. The most assertive and vocal opinions are not always the ones that should be directing strategic planning. I’ve been part of conversations after a key planning session where people were unhappy and frustrated with the outcomes, but couldn’t bring themselves to speak up/speak out during the session. A good process will actively seek out opinion diversity and not let the volume and persistence of one opinion lead to groupthink with no basis in sound strategic thinking.

3. Pre-plan for the planning. Seek out thoughts, ideas, and input prior to the strategic planning session and identify common themes, with recommendations on how these themes should inform forward-looking strategy. Attempting to develop an entire plan from scratch in one session is, at best, draining and, at worst, unrealistic. If you arrive with a basic understanding of the issues, needs, and overarching goals of the organization, you can hold a focused (and shorter) session that works with stakeholders to mould these factors into strategic directions.

It can be daunting to think of spear-heading this process internally in the midst of day-to-day realties in organizations, which is why many organizations bring in a third-party consultant (as an aside, a third party is also a great way to put another set of eyes on the organization and mitigate pathological strategic management). But to maximize your return on consultant investments, be sure that the person you are hiring is not just a facilitator of internal input, but a strategist in their own right that can process the information and feedback solicited from stakeholders and develop relevant, high-impact, and achievable strategies.