I have been contacted numerous times over the last several months by individuals who are looking for information on strategy, strategic planning, goals, initiatives, and management.
What is it? Why is it important? And more specifically, what can I do to support these strategic efforts?
These are all great questions!
Although strategies will change from organization to organization, there are some similarities that are commonly included in the strategy planning effort. For instance, the process of designing a strategy, the action plan needed to deliver on that strategy, and how the strategy will be maintained moving forward.
When designing a strategy, the process should unfold in a way that allows all employees to contribute to the development of the strategy. This is an important step for a few reasons:
- The strategy design will benefit from the input, experience, observations, and expertise of the employees.
- The Senior Leadership Team and Board of Directors will learn the best approach for delivering on that strategy through the input and contributions of the employees.
- The level of interest and commitment from the employees will be higher because they had opportunity to contribute to the vision of the organization.
I have often said that everyone in the organization is responsible for the strategy. The vision and mission will not be achievable without everyone in the organization working together to make it happen.
Yet many organizations don’t take the time to include the employees in the overall strategy process – defining the strategy, how the strategy process unfolds, what are the key elements of a strategic plan, how will the strategy be structured, who has ownership of the various strategy components and how can we contribute to the strategy efforts?
How unfortunate. If knowledge is power, I can only imagine the strategic power of an organization that includes the contributions of their employees!
If you are looking to learn more about the strategy for your organization, I encourage you to ask questions.
- Where can I find a copy of the strategy?
- How is the current strategy progressing?
- Is there a need to revisit the current strategy to determine if there are any challenges or issues that may need to be addressed?
- What is the timeline for the strategy activities in our organization?
- How can someone in my role contribute to the strategy activities?
- Do we have a glossary that provides definitions of the strategy terms and phrases used in our organization?
- Is there a roles and responsibilities document that details the tasks and ownership of the various strategy activities? For instance, have we identified a Strategy Owner, a Strategic Goal Owner, or a Strategy Coordinator?
Lastly, you can ask, “I would like to learn more about the organizational strategy so that I can contribute. Where do I start?”
My answer: By asking these questions! You can also check out the strategy resources that I have shared with the community.
Go for it. You’ve got this.
Mary Beth Imbarrator has graciously offered all Aurora Training Advantage customers a $10 discount on all products available through her website, including the ebook linked below. Just use promo code "Aurora".