When will we learn?
Just a random bunch of intriguing, pointed and challenging questions for reflection and discussion by leaders in our community.
+When will we learn that human beings have always lived in “times of change?”
+When will we learn that today’s genuine “paradigm shift” is deeper, faster and more intense than anything our society has experienced for more than 100 years?
+When will we learn that strategic planning is NEVER, NEVER, NEVER going to help us take our organizations to the next level of success?
+When will we learn that strategic planning is now a profound waste of time and resources, and must be jettisoned in favor of approaches that fit with a new reality?
+When will we learn that the future cannot and should not be predicted?
+When will we learn that our long-term success depends on cultivating a deep capacity for creating the future?
+When will we learn that pursuing innovation costs less than trying to build a strong and sustainable brand?
+When will we learn that being an innovator is a strong and sustainable brand?
+When will we learn that the only way to gain greater influence is to give up virtually all control?
+When will we learn that we never really had control in the first place?
+When will we learn that demographic shift and generational shift are connected but not the same thing?
+When will we learn that appreciating the meaning of generational shift requires us to admit that the life experiences of others are valuable and worth our understanding?
+When will we learn that our old assumptions about associations are already getting our organizations into trouble?
+When will we learn that we must work hard at getting ourselves into trouble by probing and testing these old assumptions?
+When will we learn that what appear to be mere technology tools today are actually the fundamental forces shaping the future of our society?
+When will we learn that we cannot put off embracing the transformative power of Web 2.0/social media technologies no matter how much they challenge what we do?
+When will we learn that risk cannot and should not be avoided?
+When will we learn that it is not possible to really lead without taking risks?
+When will we learn that training and learning are not the same thing?
+When will we learn how to learn, and help our members do the same?
+When will we learn that “we’ve always done it that way” is no longer a sufficient response?
+When will we learn that “we’ve always done it that way” was never a sufficient response in the first place?
Want to make a difference in the association community? Think about these questions. Talk about them with your colleagues. Better yet, come up with your own questions. Drive the conversation everywhere you go. Make people pay attention. Don’t give up and don’t make excuses. Lead by choice. Lead by example.
Jeff,
What do you have against strategic planning? When constructed correctly, strategic planning processes allow large organizations to express a common vision and use it to focus their efforts.
Perhaps there are bad strategic planning processes in your past. Certainly, if the exercise is hollow, doesn’t have the buy-in of senior leaders, is legalistic or bureaucratic, or doesn’t lead to accountability for results, that is a problem.
I wouldn’t indict the whole approach though.
Thanks for the comment Bob. I know Jeff will respond too, but I’ve got two cents to contribute as well.
Part of this discussion gets down to clarity of language. People use the term “strategic planning” to refer to a fairly broad array of activities. So when we “indict” strategic planning, we don’t mean to imply that everything that everyone is doing under that heading is wrong and ineffective.
There are core elements of strategic planning as a traditional discipline, however, that are, in our opinion, “criminal” (to stay with the indictment theme). In my post about separating strategy and planning I try to emphasize the fundamental difference between these two activities. Traditional strategic planning tends to combine these too much (and planning usually wins out over strategy).
So you say that when it is “done correctly,” it works. I agree, but I think we too often overlook some of the structural assumptions behind strategic planning as a discipline that can actually get in the way of us doing it correctly. Language is key here. It drives our reality. That’s why I think it is a mistake to say “We’re doing strategic planning, but we’re doing it correctly.” I’d rather jettison the phrase of “strategic planning” to avoid falling into the traps of its history. Separate out when you are talking about strategy and when you are planning. The two need to be connected (a core tenet of strategic planning, of course), but not fused.