How’s that Strategic Plan implementation going?

So everything was going great when you came up with that strategic plan. You have the Strategic Goals, the Key Priorities, the Actions and even the Measurement piece. You’ve decided who’s accountable for what and when it’s supposed to be completed. Then something happened. Your day got in the way. All those pesky routine tasks seemed to take priority and you’re now finding yourself behind in getting the Key Priorities and Actions completed.

How did this get out of control so easily?

Typically when the planning process is taking place, it’s being done by the senior leadership team and key players in the organization. The planning process is separate from your daily routine. However, once it’s finished, you must ensure it becomes part of the entire organization, part of the daily routine of everyone. The plan cannot be something that exists independently from the rest of the organization or it will never succeed. It must be integrated into everyone’s goals, their daily activity, what they are accountable for, and what they are measured on. It must be tracked routinely and often.

When social media was becoming more prevalent, a friend of mine said to his team: ‘If we’re going to start doing this (social media), what are we going to stop doing?’ Wise words.

In order for implementation of your strategic plan to work, those Key Priorities need to be just that. They need to take precedence. You’ve decided they are key, so make certain they are. Stop doing something else, you just need to decide what that is. Not only will that feel good, but it will lighten your load and get you closer to actually making your strategic plan successful.