Someone (okay, it is me) unveils a beautifully designed, spiral bound strategic plan that is 77 pages long. Full color, full of visionary language. I was on a roll for about 2 weeks straight, but my recipient had no idea what to do with it next.
It got passed around, everybody ooh-ed and ahhh-ed, and then eventually it got shelved. It had a ton of great ideas. But my clients were intimidated by the sheer volume. They tried to ingest the entire document and were too overwhelmed to start. Once we broke it into pieces, it made a lot more sense.
01If It Cannot Be Used, It Is Not a Strategy
It is not a plan if no one knows what to do. Make sure you have clear next steps. Name the owners of each step. Set real and realistic deadlines. Keep the plan flexible. If you have to sit and explain all the parts of your strategy, then is it a plan or is it just a brochure?
02Glossy Does Not Equal Good
A good presentation should serve clarity, not smother it. Does your vision statement really need 17 different points? What about those multi-colored dashboards that require a legend and have not been updated in over a year? You know better.
03Stakeholders Should See Themselves in the Plan
Make sure your partners, staff, and residents can recognize their part in the plan. Otherwise they will not champion it. Build something with your community, not for them. Interview the actual users. Organize collaborative workshops. Get feedback before you publish anything big.
04It Has to Be Able to Flex
Things move fast. Make sure your plan is not static. Consider quarterly check-ins. Make those updates. Keep a one-page summary to highlight things that might need to be re-addressed. Make yourself, and your strategy, agile.
05Plans Do Not Fail. Ownership Fails
You can assign every task and still miss the mark if no one believes the plan matters. Build internal advocates who will remind the team why the plan exists. Track the small wins to build momentum. Know when to pivot, not scrap.
Strategic plans have to be digestible. They need to drive decisions, guide teams, and evolve with your community. Think about your plan as a tool, not a trophy that sits on the shelf.