The joys of strategic planning

Sailors use a plan when they chart their course on the seas, and pilots are required to file flight plans before they take off into the skies. Why, then, would a business be any different? Our "flight plans" are called strategic plans.

I was introduced to strategic planning by a guy named John Nimsky, then a VP of planning for Scottsdale (Arizona) Memorial Health Systems, Inc. John stood at a whiteboard and drew the outline of a strategic plan dedicated to the development of an expanded emergency department. I'd never been exposed to planning before, and I was smitten.

Strategic plans are nothing, according to Dwight D. Eisenhower, U.S. president, Army general and former president of Columbia University. Rather, Eisenhower said, planning is everything. The act of getting leaders together in a room, declaring where they are (situation analysis), where they want to be (vision) and how they're going to get there (strategies and tactics) is a process of courage, foresight, and trust. Whether leaders represent a nonprofit board, a chamber of commerce or a Fortune 100 company, the group agrees to a future they are creating together.

We may feel uncomfortable straddling between the time zone of the present-where the company is today-and that of the future, fraught with uncertainty. Leaders make leaps of faith based on the information they have, collaborate on the vision of where they see themselves in the future, and then come up with some sort of plan that gives structure to everyday operations. This seems simple in theory but is a little more complicated to execute unless the organization "cleaves to the plan." Holding ourselves accountable to a plan takes great discipline.

Here's the outline I've used when helping chambers, business owners and partnerships create their own strategic plans, usually within a three-to-five-year timeframe:

Mission, Vision, Values: If a company is new, or the leaders haven't articulated their mission, vision, and values, it's a great time to capture these on paper. One word of caution: Don't get caught up in the wordsmithing. Do come up with a mission you can live with for as long as you see your business operating. Vision is articulated in the present tense, as if you have already accomplished your mission. Values? Best to have five that really mean something than to have 20 that dilute your scope.

Goal: Like your mission, this is big and "worldly," or out there in the world. "Make a difference to others (your target market) by offering exceptional something (service, product) so that those people (your customers or clients) live a fabulous life."

Objectives: These need to be specific and measurable, based in time. "Generate X dollars in revenue by 2025… grow your business by X percent by 2023… increase profits by X dollars or percent quarter by quarter."

Strategies: Strategies are like railroad tracks: they lay the foundation for moving the company forward. Some examples are, "Elevate the visibility of our company" and "Invest in talent development for our leaders." In the PR world we called things like strategies "evergreen" because they stay relevant year-round. When would you not want to elevate your visibility?

Tactics: Oh, how we love tactics. These are the everyday steps we take to support our strategies, which in turn support the objectives, goal, mission, vision & values. Breaking strategies down into tactics can help build an annual operational plan as well as identify resources that will be required going forward. Another caveat: tactics beget tactics, so be realistic.

The joys of strategic planning can be yours with the camaraderie of your team, a commitment to the future and time to create a plan together. Remember, it isn't the document that works magic; it's the magic of the team that works the plan.

• Vickie Austin is president & CEO of the Wheaton Chamber of Commerce. She has taught strategic planning at Lewis University and has been a devotée of the planning process as a business & career coach and now as a chamber executive. You can reach her at president@wheatonchamber.com.