Anyone who has taught
a teenager to drive knows
first hand the risks of
embarking on an important
project without a strategic
plan. Questions of when and
how much to accelerate, when to apply the brakes and with how much pressure, when to signal a turn, and where to actually spin the wheel, take on an amazing immediacy and clarity when you are heading for a crowded intersection under the control of an unskilled driver.
That first diving experience must be preceded by a thoughtful examination of the issues. What moves us forward, what impedes our progress, and what environmental factors will impact our journey? All are questions that deserve examination and that will raise issues for planning. The same questions can be asked in relation to an organization's journey into the future. What advances the mission, what impedes the mission, and what impacts the mission determine how the strategic plan will evolve.
The good news is that both teenage drivers and organizations build on experience to become better, and better at handling their respective journeys. A strategic planning effort that seems laborious and drawn-out today becomes a well-understood and helpful roadmap in and into the future.
|
|