Is Strategic Planning a Waste of Time?
There are thousands of consultants, books, and methodologies out there to help you do this. Yet, I consistently talk to business owners who have never done a “strategic plan” and don’t seem to be missing anything.
My take: Yes, it often is. (This from a consultant who does “strategic planning.” I’m nuts, right?)
So, what do you think? Discuss.
Please leave your thoughts on this! It may take a bit for your view to show up since I hate making people type in little letters (I can’t read most of them myself) - so I moderate all comments. Feel free to disagree - debate is healthy, but do act like a grown-up. And, I’ve blacklisted the worst obscenities, including the “f” word, as part of the troll wall.
Like what you’re reading? Subscribe to Mary’s Blog by Email
Tags: strategy, strategic planning, business development, marketing troubleshooting
View the Blog Roll
June 21st, 2007 at 8:06 am
Just because a business owner hasn’t sat down and formally written a strategic plan, doesn’t mean he/she hasn’t got one. Any good businessperson will have a plan and will be acting on it. With many, it’s just a seat of the pants thing, almost intuitive.
That said, the excercise of sitting down and formalizing often brings things into a sharper focus. Hmmm…I better clear my desk for this afternoon…
June 21st, 2007 at 10:23 am
As a strategic consultant and serial entrepreneur, if I had to choose between a great strategy executed okay, or an okay strategy executed great, I’d choose the latter.
The benefit of a strategic consultant is that they don’t have their head in the day-to-day business. They have the opportunity to look up from what’s happening and then help the business owner climb into the crow’s nest and steer the ship in a smarter direction.
The right consultant can help a business owner set a long and profitable course. That’s never a waste of time.
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:47 am
I get you, Mary.
Every time I hear about the latest “marketing phenomenon” or “business guru” or anything else hyped enough to get some quotations, I sigh and wonder if “this is the one?”
It’s just not possible that every new book or TV personality or fad is going to be the savior of anyone’s world.
And to be fair, even though I write about business (the insular funeral industry) I am smart enough to take my own prognostications with a grain of salt.
I mean, thousands of successful business people have come before me. Each of them were able to “figure it out” to some degree. So who am I to preach the gospel.
So I stick to my own gospel and offer help to those who might want to get a little better.
June 22nd, 2007 at 2:15 pm
I really don’t think it is possible to survive in the business wild without some kind of strategy up your sleeve. A really good strategic plan can see ahead quite a long way. Having said that, no plan can cast prophecies. A strategic plan is only useful is if you participate in the planning process and then actually use the thing. That means checking in with it a couple of times a year.
September 25th, 2007 at 8:14 am
[…] Posts: The Strategy Disconnect Is Strategic Planning A Waste of Time? The Problem with Top-Down Planning My Five Observations re Strategic […]