Why Should I Plan When Everything Will Change?
Have you ever experienced a road trip where everything went exactly as planned? It's pretty rare, right? Road closures, traffic jams, a flat tire, and other obstacles always seem to pop up. But here's the thing – chances are, you still managed to reach your intended destination!
Business owners often ask me why they should bother with strategic planning when everything is likely to change. To answer that, I draw a parallel to a road trip. A strategic plan serves as your roadmap, guiding your organization towards its goals by defining the destination, the route, and the milestones along the way. When unexpected events occur (because they inevitably will), the plan becomes a valuable tool to assess alternative routes, allowing you to swiftly adjust course while still making progress.
To make the most of your planning efforts, here are some tips for successful execution.
1. Write Down Your Goals
Writing down your goals not only improves your chances of remembering them, but it also makes it easier to communicate them to various stakeholders such as employees, board members, volunteers, donors, and customers. And research shows that people who write down their goals increase their likelihood of achieving them by 20% to 40%.
2. Look Beyond the Current Year
Planning for the future requires looking beyond the limited scope of a single year. For ambitious goals, it's realistic to consider a planning horizon of 2-3 years. This allows you to envision your desired outcomes, define your goals, and create a roadmap with strategies and action steps to get there.
3. Include Your Team in the Process
Did you know that organizations with highly engaged employees are 21% more profitable and can experience three times faster profit growth compared to their competitors? Whether your focus is on profitability or maximizing impact, involving your team in the planning process is a powerful way to engage them. It allows you to understand their individual passions and motivations to create an aligned vision with greater buy-in.
4. Define Checkpoints to Stop and Assess Your Progress
Unlike a GPS app guiding your every turn, life doesn't come with built-in navigation assistance. That's why it's crucial to define checkpoints along your journey. Set smaller milestones (quarterly, annually, etc.) within your roadmap, and make sure to allocate dedicated time in your calendar to assess where you are, compare it to where you should be, and make any necessary course corrections.
Remember, strategic planning provides you with a compass to navigate the ever-changing landscape of your business. By embracing the planning process and following these key principles, you'll be better equipped to adapt, make informed decisions quickly, and confidently steer your organization towards success.