Article
Article No.: 11-5
Article Title: It's May: Are You Executing Your Strategic Plan?
Author: Linda Gravett, Ph.D., SPHR, CEQC
Perhaps it seems like just yesterday when you and your leadership
team were brainstorming objectives and goals for the 2011-forward
strategic plan. I’m sure, like most leadership teams, you had high
expectations and an eagerness to carry out all of the strategic
planning elements effectively and on time. So here we are:
May 1st. Do you know which elements of the plan have been
completed? If some target dates have not been met, do you know
what derailed your plan and how to get back on target? If you
answered no to these questions, here are a few suggestions to get
back – and stay – on target.
For the 20 years that I’ve been helping organizations with strategic
planning, I’ve discovered that there is a singular reason why
strategic plans don’t get completed. That reason is the
employees of the organization have no idea how their job supports
the company’s Mission, Vision, Core Values, or Strategic Objectives.
Perhaps the top leadership team discusses all of these elements of a
strategic plan at their retreat; however, they don’t have a firm
approach for ensuring the understanding and buy-in of individuals
who will be responsible for executing the goals that are aligned
with the Mission, Vision and Values.
A quick survey or a few focus groups can help you determine whether
employees have a clear understanding of and are working towards
executing organizational goals. The survey could ask questions
such as, “What are the top three priorities you have for this year
and which strategic organizational objective do those priorities
support?” Another question is, “Which of the company’s Core
Values are your three top priorities for the year aligned with?”
If the answers you get back from a survey of this nature are along
the lines of “I have no idea” or “I’m not sure”, then it’s time for
a pause in the daily rush to talk with employees from department to
department about their priorities and which specific elements of the
strategic plan those priorities support. I’ve found that when
people are clear on how what they’re doing on a day by day basis
supports, for instance, the core value of innovation, they feel
motivated to do their part to be creative in their approach to work.
If your leadership team didn’t develop a worksheet at the end of
your strategic planning session that identified who is responsible
for what objective and the success measures, here’s a sample
worksheet that could help you get and stay on track:
Objective: Enhance the current public perception of our
organization.
Success Measures: Increase program dollars raised by 10% by
12/31/11; Increase advertising dollars received by 15% by 12/31/11;
Increase attendance at all programs by 5% in 2011; Increase
membership by 10% in 2011.
| TARGET DATE | WHO IS RESPONSIBLE | ACTION STEPS |
| 6/30/11 | Public Relations Department | Department brainstorm about current perception |
| 7/15/11 | Public Relations Department | Test brainstorming results with consumer survey |
| 7/31/11 | Executive Team | Clarify message for the community that describes Mission, Vision and Core Values |
If each team responsible for specific action steps meets
periodically to discuss the status of goals and barriers that are
preventing completion of those goals, it’s less likely that the end
of the year will arrive without any real understanding of how the
strategic planning process veered off course. I recommend
monthly department meetings for goal discussion, or quarterly if
that’s simply not feasible.
The key, I’ve found, is accountability. Each department and
individuals within each department must be crystal clear on the
impact their work has on the successful achievement of the company’s
Mission, Vision and Business Imperatives. Now is a great time
to check in with employees to clarify that understanding.It's
If you have any questions or need more information about this article, please complete our Contact Form, or contact Dr. Gravett by telephone at 513-753-8870.