Dr. Earl R. Smith II

By Dr. Earl R. Smith II
DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com
www.Dr-Smith.com

Both strategic and tactical planning are partially science and partially art. Like a hammer or a football, the intellectualization of their function and purpose does not make a person adept - let alone effective - in using them. Both require careful attention to detail - consideration of every aspect that is either involved or affected. But the process of planning - no matter how well it is done - is still an intellectual exercise until the plan is implemented. Creating good plans is not enough as the results depend entirely on how these plans are executed.

Plans, at best, are indicators of direction to a business. They are useful in guiding it through challenges. A plan may be brilliant - a polished gem - but may be either misleading in its structure and conclusions or implemented in such a way as to mar its perfection. I do a lot of work in the area of strategic and tactical planning and implementation with senior teams. One of the most common reasons of an organization’s failure to execute plans successfully is that they are lousy at it. Sure, I encounter teams that cannot plan effectively but, far more often, I find teams that are good at planning but less than effective when it comes to implementation.

When I encounter this situation, I immediately recommend that we do a leadership, executive and organizational assessment. The process is quick and relatively inexpensive. The programs that I use generate data that helps to diagnose the problems and point out paths to correcting them. Most teams will repeat the same mistakes repeatedly. The results of the assessments help to break that cycle.

With the assessments completed, I analyze the data and present it during a strategic retreat. My preference is that the meetings take place off-site and during non-business hours. Usually we take a weekend. When we focus on the planning efforts, the baselines that the assessments establish bring the challenges into sharp focus. I have had CEOs tell me that the presentation of the data alone saved his team half a day of arguing about what the problems were. Every time I make such a presentation, the clarity in the room is had to miss. We can then put problem definition behind us. This allows us to move on to the next stage - dealing with the problems rather than defining them.

We use the assessment in discussions of recent planning efforts by the team. By adopting a ‘case method’ approach to the review, we begin to see how the leadership characteristics, executive skills and organizational resources of the company have conspired to produce the less than optimal results that have been experienced.

At some point in the retreat, one of the participants comes to a fundamental realization - that we are planning the planning process. This is the great lesson of the effort. The very process of making the assessments, using them to define the challenges and then drawing on the institutionalized memory of the team to develop solutions is precisely the model for good planning.

Most organizations can significantly improve their planning and implementation cycles. In my role as a facilitator and advisor, I help the team develop and implement new and more productive approaches to the process. In many cases, the impact - financially and organizationally - of these new approaches has made the difference between stagnation and accelerating growth. Planning may be part science and part art - but it is neither rocket science nor astrology.

Related Articles:

• Entrepreneurial Planning and Goal Setting
• Changes - The Planning Process
• The Importance of Structure in Organizational Change
• The Benefits of Knowing – The Costs of Not Knowing
• Red-Teaming: Improve Your Chances of Winning the Business

Dr. Smith is a proven senior executive, successful entrepreneur, published author and public speaker. He serves on boards of directors and advisory boards or as a strategic advisor to CEOs. Dr. Smith specializes in turnaround management, strategic planning, leadership development and executive coaching. He also works as an executive and/or life coach in the areas of personal growth and spirituality. He is the author of Amazing Pace: Turbo-charged Business Development - a book that shows how Advisory Boards can dramatically increase revenue.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 17th, 2008 at 11:09 pm and is filed under Advisory. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.