- 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)