Strategic Planning is relevant to the context

Posted by chad cook

I was working with an executive last week to prepare for a strategic planning session to update a plan that had been initially assembled in February.What I learned and pondered after a couple of pre-planning sessions was:

Sometimes we have a solid grasp of "what" we want to do, to the exclusion of considering alternatives.

Most of us feel very comfortable with a pre-economic downturn model for strategic planning.
Some corporate C-suite executives thinking is still at the level of the business entity.
Some corporate C-suite thinking is not yet broad enough to encompass a singular corporate entity concept in context and scope.
Some people are far too controlling around the "what" is to be focused on, and limit the scope of their direct reports accordingly.
Sometimes the "How" to get work accomplished is neglected in the push to get the "What" done.

My awareness (some new, some renewed) from this encounter were:

Leaders are still trusting their company's future to plans based on past history.
Corporate entity scope and context are significantly different than internal divisions/groups even if these internal entities are larger than most free-standing companies.
Leaders who control the strategic planning process too tightly are doing a disservice to their direct reports career development.
Fear of the unknown causes some leaders to limit others view of the possibilities and options present even in difficult times.
The discipline to balance the "What" and "How" of performance is understood and valued by only the most experienced top leaders.

As Chris Argyris would say, "Teaching Smart People How to Learn" is a tough job.

What do you think??
Chad