Clearing Up The Myths About Strategic Thinking and Planning By: J. Glenn Ebersole, Jr., Chief Executive of J. G. Ebersole Associates and The Renaissance Group™
I continue to be amazed at the amount of misinformation and the number of myths that exist about strategic thinking and planning. During my entire career, I have heard business owners, senior executives and not-for-profit board members and executive directors utter “mythical” statements about strategic thinking and planning. And I have observed that these same people truly believe that these myths are reality.
My purpose in writing this article is to share what I believe are the 5 biggest myths and also provide some insights into what I believe are the 5 biggest “realities” of strategic thinking and planning.
The #1 Myth: “Our company (organization) does not need a strategic plan.”
The #1 Reality: Every company and organization needs to develop strategic thinking and planning to guide its actions, especially in chaotic times.
The #2 Myth: “Strategic planning takes too much time and we must use our time to do our “real” work.”
The #2 Reality: By engaging in strategic thinking and planning, time will be saved and time will be used more efficiently and effectively. The effort will provide a system of accountability and evaluation of a company’s or organization’s effectiveness.
The #3 Myth: “A strategic plan is confidential.”
The #3 Reality: A copy of the strategic plan, which in my model includes vision and mission statements, a list of core values or guiding principles and lists of short term (less than 1 year) and long term (beyond 1 year) goals, MUST be presented and given to ALL employees.
The #4 Myth: “Strategic thinking & planning are events that only happen at retreats.”
The #4 Reality: Strategic thinking and planning are processes and need to be continuous.
The #5 Myth: “Our company (organization) can do everything on our own without any help in strategic thinking and planning.
The #5 Reality: “At best, it is extremely challenging and at worst is impossible to facilitate and participate in the same meeting. A trained facilitator is a very valuable asset and will resist the temptations to enter into the detailed tactical problem solving and go “off track” of the real purpose of the meeting.
Are you a believer in one or more of these myths about strategic thinking and planning? Or do you accept the realities? Please contact Glenn Ebersole at jgeprman@aol.com if you want to find out how to clear up the myths and get to the reality of the benefits of strategic thinking and planning to grow your business.
To learn more about this author, visit Glenn Ebersole's Website.
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