Engage the Entire Organization in Strategic Planning in Business and at Work

I love when best practice and actual application agree.

During the workshop I teach for the Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce Leadership Institute, Leadership and Strategic Thinking, I emphasize to the class the importance of involving the entire organization in the strategic planning process, not just the leadership team. This involvement helps to ensure not only the organization’s buy-in in support of the strategic plan, but also the successful implementation of that plan.

When I facilitated a strategic planning session recently involving an entire organization, I asked the employees why their involvement was important. One participant observed: “Our organization’s strategic plan can’t just be developed and driven by the leaders of the organization. The plan has to stand on its own to sustain and grow the organization, no matter who the leaders are. A strategic plan can’t be based on the leaders’ personalities alone.”

Indeed.

How does your organization’s strategic plan stand on its own, no matter who’s on your leadership team, in business and at work?

Business Strategy Pyramid Showing Teamwork And Plan