As a business owner or nonprofit leader, if you hear the words, “strategic planning,” what immediately comes to mind?

- “Great, another offsite meeting where we come up with a long list of things we want to do but will never actually getting around to doing.”

- “Our organization is too small for strategic planning.  Rolling with the punches has worked so far, why start planning now?”

- “The last time we tried strategic planning, it took a few days to come up with the initial plan, and other month or two to devise departmental details for said plan.  I’m not even sure we followed through on reaching our goals?  I don’t have time for all that.  I have a business to run.”

If one or all of these thoughts came to your mind, know one thing: It doesn’t have to be that way.

Why Strategic Planning?

Strategic planning is a hugely missed opportunity for many businesses.  According to BalancedScorecard Collaborative,

- 95% of typical workforce does not understand its organizations’ strategy,

- 90% of organizations fail to execute their strategies successfully, and

 -86% of executive teams spend less than one hour per month discussing strategy.

However, if done correctly, strategic planning can be a simple, streamlined strategy that ensures everyone on your team is utilizing time, money and resources in the right places.  And, if you know what you’re doing, building that strategy doesn’t have to be a process you dread.

The road map you build will give your employees a detailed direction to move in.  As long as you’re measuring the effectiveness of your plan and its execution, you can be certain that you’re not just moving, but moving forward together in a direction that is aligned with your company’s long-term goals.

Think of it this way: Theoretically, say you have four leaders in your company, and two are going one way, and two are going another.  Guess where the company moves?  Nowhere.  Their energy cancels each other out.

With a strategic plan in place, all leaders move in the same direction — and, in turn, lead their employees in that same direction. Now 100 percent of the entire team’s effort is aimed at the overall goals instead of just at their own departmental goals.

How Do You Create a Strategic Plan?

But how do you start?  That’s where Studer Community Institute’s upcoming training session, "Dynamic Strategic Planning That Leaves Your Smiling!" can help.

The session is led by national strategic planning expert Lynne Cunningham.  Cunningham is a senior coach and speaker for Studer Group.  She has more than four decades of experience in the healthcare industry, including 30 years’ experience as a consultant specializing in facilitating group dynamics and strategic planning.

This full-day workshop takes place Friday, June 15, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CDT at the WSRE Jean and Paul Amos Auditorium. Lunch on-site is included in the $149 cost of the workshop.  HR professionals attending can earn 5 SHRM-CPSM or SHRM-SCPSM Professional Development Credits (PDCs).

In addition to Lynne’s workshop, we’ll also have a panel discussion with Stacey Kostevecki of Gulf Coast Kid's House and Justin Beck of Beck Partners. They are both business professionals who have worked with Lynne in the past to drive their strategic plans over the years.  During the panel session, they will fill you in on what tactics have worked best for them.

At the end of the workshop, you’ll know how to:

- Create and use a strategic plan that works to drive results in your organization.

- Differentiate between strategic planning, tactical planning and results reporting.

- Align strategic planning with the budgeting process, organizational responsibilities and strategic timelines.

Strategic planning needs to be a fluid process. Develop a plan that works for you. Register today!