Why Organizations Don't Plan
They lack the urgency- Planning doesn’t appear to have an immediate payback
- Leaders spend all their time and energy solving problems
- Planning may not be a fire that has to be put out TODAY
They question the value
- Strategy is viewed as a theoretical exercise
- Strategy is equated with budgeting
- Having some success in the past without a plan
- Thinking goals can be achieved by not changing anything
They simply don’t know how to go about strategy development
Why You Should Plan
Strategy makes organizations more effective- Improve performance by having a direction and focus
- Spend your time managing, not just solving problems
- Develop a stronger understanding of what your customers value
- Convey to your team what truly drives the business and success
Strategy self-manages expenses
- Identify “trade-offs” where you can decrease effort and cost
- Have a built-in rationale for budget and operational decisions
- Effective planning can be done with a reasonable investment of your time -- often just a few days
You need to do something different from everyone else