1. Strategic Planning Long & Short Term
Not everyone’s favorite activity
Most people don’t do it because
They don’t like it
They had a bad experience
Don’t know how to do it
There are a lot of people who think this is not necessary because we all know what we believe & why we do what we do
I DISAGREE and there is too much evidence that we are not all pulling in the same direction to make me change my mind

2. What’s the Why?
This is really the fundamental question of strategic planning
Why are you doing any of the things you are doing as an organization?

3. “In order to anticipate, adjust, and adapt to changes in the environment, leaders plan strategically.
. . .
Internal change is necessary to adapt the changes that are already occurring externally .”
Ebener & Smith
Our world is constantly changing - especially since 2011
Effective internal change requires a “BIG PICTURE” view
Hindsight - have to be intentionally reflective about the past & be honest; hindsight is not always 20/20
Insight - about the present - from all angles, not just what you want to see
Foresight - about what is going to happen - be predictive

4. Long Term Planning Creating a full strategic plan
Set up an interactive process
Complete an environmental assessment
Establish a mission and core values
Create a vision
Develop strategic goals and objectives
Takes time - have to be willing to dedicate the time
Full strategic plans include the mission, vision, and values either because you have them or because you don’t have time right now
Short term planning will skip mission, vision, and valuebecause
Implement & evaluate your plan

5. It’s also a dialogue, not a monologue
It’s a Process
It’s also a dialogue, not a monologue
Process is often a dreaded word
Lots of people don’t like process
You need to involve people that understand HOW to process - not just people who LIKE process
Liking process ≠ being good at process
Monologue vs. Dialogue
Can’t be top down
Can’t be a directive from leadership or staff
Need the owernship of your members

6. “Shared visions emerge from personal visions
“Shared visions emerge from personal visions. This is how they derive their energy and how they foster commitment...if people don't have their own vision, all they can do is 'sign-up' for someone else's. The result is compliance, never commitment.”
-- Peter Senge
The Fifth Discipline noted from Data, Data Everywhere by Victoria L. Bernhardt, Ph.D.
Shared vision - we can’t all pull in the same direction if we don’t SHARE ownership for the goal
It requires conversations between ALL groups (leaders, members ) about the DIRECTION an organization needs to take
Creates a COMMON goal

7. Set the Stage It must be an interactive process
The more people you have involved, the more they will take ownership
Involve the right people
Be inclusive - engage as many “stakeholders” as possible
Use a facilitator
Internal vs. external facilitators
Identify any mandates
More mandates = less creativity
The right people
People who will interact in the process
People who volunteer
People would can see the big picture
People who are open-minded
People who are GOOD at process
People who represent all aspects of your organization
Engagement = having a say in the process; not everyone who is engaged is on the planning team
Facilitator is the key to this process
Doesn’t participate
Challenges thinking sees the big picture
Knows how to process
Able to prevent members from going down a rabbit hole and able to bring them back out of a rabbit hole
Internal facilitator
Knows your organization / landscape / players
Has something at stake -
May be difficult to separate their own experiences from the big picture
May not be able to challenge thinking/push back
Have a tendency to try to participate rather than facilitate
Pre-existing relationships can cause problems - “it doesn’t work; we tried it
External Facilitator
Doesn’t know the organization / landscape / players
Only knows as much as s/he is told
Doesn’t have anything at stake
Can push back / challenge thinking
Doesn’t have to worry about relationships
Easier to keep group focused
Mandates - issues that must be confronted and ideas that are off limits - if determines the limits of the process; set by leadership
Seek problems to solve

8. Self-Assess Be honest about your organization
Conduct a SWOT Analysis
Consider your frames & identify your
biases
Takes steps to overcome your biases
Gather intelligence
Focus groups, surveys, interviews from all available sources
Frames
The lens through which you see yoru world
Can limit what you do unless you confront your biases & take steps to overcome them
Expand your frame - seek & consider the assessment of others
The right “data” can become intelligence & intelligence can determine/direct your action steps
Intelligence -- relevant information that will be used for decision-making
Make yourself UNCOMFORTABLE - gather data that disagrees with yoru personal fram
Comes from both inside and outside of the organization (members, potential members, allies, community organizations . . .)

9. Develop a mission & core values Why you exist & what you believe in
Establish your mission
Why does your organization exist?
Internal & external
Core values
Why do you do what you do?
Core value statements
What do your values mean?
I believe you should start with core values first
Have to know what you believe in to be able to define why you exist (mission)
Value statements define a common understanding for each of your values
If you don’t know what yoru values mean, how can they inform yoru actions & how do you know fi you are taking the right actions?
Values & Mission describe your culture

10. Create a vision What is the ideal?
It describes a future that can be accomplished
Internal vision
Describes what the organization will look like if the organization succeeds
External vision
Describes how the world will be a better place if the organization succeeds

11. Strategic Goals, Objectives & Action Steps
Why you exist & what you believe in
Action Steps
Strategic Goals
Strategic Objectives
Top strategic priorities that need to be addressed
Develop themes that relate to answer the questions of your strategic goals
Specific actions that help you accomplish the objectives
Turn them into questions
Include:
what to do
who will do it
by when it will be completed
Strategic Goals = what you want to accomplish
Strategic Objectives = how you will move toward the goal
not specific or measureable
specific topics that address the goal
Answer “How can we address the goal?”

12. 3x3x3

13. Implement and Evaluate Be accountable
Meet quarterly
Take blame out of the process
Check progress on action steps
Is it completed?
Next steps?
Change or delete?
What is the impact of changing/deleting?

14. What about right now?

15. Short Term Planning If your needs are more immediate
Set up an interactive process
Complete an environmental assessment
Develop strategic goals and objectives
Implement & evaluate the plan
Proceed with caution
If you are SKIPPING the mission, vision, and values BE CAREFUL - How do you know these are the right actions to take

16. 3x3x3

17. Other Considerations when planning action steps
What resources do you need and who can help?
Local, region, state, national organizations
Who can get involved?
How will you reach out to them?

18. “Strategy drives the change that is at the core of leadership
“Strategy drives the change that is at the core of leadership. It moves the organization toward the common goal or shared vision upon which leadership is based.
. . .
Strategic leadership is the combination of strategic planning and strategic thinking. ”
-- Ebener & Smith

19. Resource
The material in this presentation is based on the following resource:
Ebener, Dan R., and Frederick L. Smith. Strategic Planning: an Interactive Process for Leaders. Paulist Press, 2015.

20. Thanks!
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21. Organizational Assessment
PEST & SWOT Analyses