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Strategic Planning: Taking Time Out to Work "ON" Your Business

Guest post by: Jonathan Goldhill

Article Overview: Strategic Planning, 5 Traps of strategic planning, alignment of management team, management

Strategic Planning: Taking Time Out to Work "ON" Your Business

The optimists tell you this year is looking better than last. The pessimists tell you this year is looking worst. And, the realists tell you, become agile, lean and flexible for whatever comes. The realist advises you stop spending so much time working "IN" your business, so you can be prepared for either, so you can adapt, and so you can be be profitable - no matter what the year holds. The great philosopher and statesman, Winston Churchill said, "Let our advance worrying become advance thinking and planning." And, so, as I prepare my clients for this coming year, I advise you to plan more, improve your team and develop your people so they can be flexible.

This week, I'm meeting with a mid-size law firm that is in the beginning stages of succession planning where we will begin the strategic planning process for this succession. Next week, I am facilitating an off-site retreat for 10 managers and 2 owners of a local Los Angeles manufacturing company. Here again we are taking time out to get everyone on the same page and get united the vision, direction and strategies for the company through working on our accountability and communication.

Read our 5 traps of strategic planning article.

Planning is bringing the future into the present so you can do something about it now. That's why you plan.

Here are a few more reasons why planning is so beneficial to any company:

• Creates clear focus & alignment for your management team

• Identifies the highest impact initiatives to improve.

• Develops actionable plans for actionable results.

• Means to measure future results.

• Builds accountability.

• Clarity around mission, vision, competitive advantage.

• Review of market, competition, industry changes and trends.

• Assessment of internal departments - what's working/what's not

• Development of objectives, goals, direction and initiatives ... alignment of resources

• Improve organization efficiency

• Team building around core values and beliefs

• Developing leadership, management and effective teams

• Clarifying organizational culture, human capital requirements, people assets

If you are interested in exploring how strategic planning can work for your company, give us a call.

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Article Tags: 5 traps to strategic planning, alignment, Business Planning, management team, Strategic Planning, strategic planning, taking time, team management



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