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  • (chiming sounds)

  • - What is it about strategic planning?

  • There are few, if any business systems

  • that cause more heartache than strategic planning,

  • why? Is it the plans are flawed?

  • Do leaders just ignore their role?

  • Are resources mismanaged, or is it something else

  • that causes even the best strategic plans to hit roadblocks?

  • Well for every organization, just like their strategic plans

  • are unique, so are their challenges.

  • However, here are five of the biggest roadblocks you face

  • when designing your strategic plan

  • and five strategies to blow past them.

  • Number one, just too complicated.

  • I am working with a brand new client

  • updating their strategic plan.

  • And the main reason they wanted to work together

  • is because in the last five strategic plans

  • they have developed, not one has been fully

  • implemented and few have come close.

  • When I got in to try to figure

  • out why the answer hit me immediately

  • their plans are too complicated.

  • They are more than 12 strategic goals with long

  • very involved action plans and very lofty long-term goals.

  • Just looking at it made me feel overwhelmed.

  • You have to remember to keep your strategic plans simple

  • ensure you have no more than five short term goals.

  • Three is better and that your actions and steps are doable.

  • The smaller you break down the long term goals

  • the more progress you will make.

  • Number two, you have no plan for your plan.

  • Strategic plans needs structure,

  • if they're going to be activated.

  • Once your plan is complete you need to create a plan

  • of how you are going to implement it.

  • And number three, your strategic plan will fail.

  • If you have the wrong people on the bus.

  • Who you assign to the teams is critical

  • in ensuring that you make progress on your strategic plan.

  • And most importantly, if you want your strategic plan

  • to succeed then ensure there is ownership at the top.

  • The very top of your company.

  • Number four, your plan is too rigid.

  • The one thing we can guarantee about your strategic plan

  • is that while you are trying to implement it

  • everything will change, your competition,

  • your customers, the economy, and the list goes on.

  • If you have not built in the ability to flex

  • and change your strategic plan, being able to adjust

  • to take advantage of new opportunities

  • or shift to avoid a threat, then your strategic plan

  • will fail because it is too rigid.

  • And last but not least number five, not being honest.

  • The great thing about a strategic plan

  • is that it is for the most part an internal document

  • it's for you and your team to use.

  • And you do not have to reveal it to anyone else,

  • but you, so that gives you the perfect opportunity

  • and cover to be gut-wrenchingly honest.

  • Honest about your challenges, honest about your weaknesses

  • and honest about the goals you want to set

  • and what you will need to do to get there.

  • But if you're not honest when building your strategic plan

  • then you will not be acting on the information

  • you need to make plan effective.

  • I hope this information is helpful

  • as you build your strategic plan

  • we've covered what to avoid, what to do

  • and just how to do it, all in all

  • you should be far better positioned

  • to be among that small percentage

  • of strategic planners that succeed.

  • (bright music)

(chiming sounds)

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