The three most important questions that your strategy should answer are: *What products/services/programs of value are we going to provide and to whom? *Who do we need to staff the provision of these products/services/programs? *How will we finance all of this activity? An organization should have at least one strategic goal which relates to each of these … [Read more...] about Implementing Integrated Strategy
Strategy
SOAR without SWOTs
Frequently I tell people (including the grad students I teach) that strategy can be done well in many different ways. Certainly, I prefer the Mission Impact approach, but there are a lot of great methodologies out there that can work for organizations. One interesting approach is S.O.A.R., which you can read more about it at this link. S.O.A.R. stands for Strengths, … [Read more...] about SOAR without SWOTs
If You Really Had $100 Billion
When I encourage people to create an aspirational vision of what they would want their organization to look like if they could have it any way they wanted it – it is often hard to get them to “think big” or “think outside of the box.” To help people think big, I sometimes say “Imagine you just received an unrestricted gift of $100 billion. The donor said to do anything with … [Read more...] about If You Really Had $100 Billion
SWOT Your Goals!
SWOT Analysis (evaluating your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) is the most widely used tool in strategic planning. But that is not the only time you can use it! It is also very helpful to SWOT any goal – individual or organizational – that you have. But make sure you put the SWOT in context. Ask these questions: *Given my/our commitment to … [Read more...] about SWOT Your Goals!
Your Strategy & Your Board
How involved should your Board be with your strategic planning process? As usual, opinions vary all over the map on this question. On one end of the spectrum, some people view strategy-making as the responsibility of the staff. The Board should be generally informed – and certainly consulted if anything “wild” is being considered – but their main role is to ask good … [Read more...] about Your Strategy & Your Board