Why Strategic Planning Doesn’t Work

I’ll bet the subject of this email gave you pause, right? After all, strategic planning is heralded as the end all to business performance. How could it not work?

Well, let me elaborate by first explaining that strategic planning can and will succeed IF a number of other factors are present. What most entrepreneurs do, however, is put the strategic cart before the horse. They think that by putting pen to paper and then focusing their energy on the plan, the outcome they desire will be theirs. Sometimes it works, but often not.

Strategic planning is generally an outer activity. It’s all about the “doing” of setting a goal then creating a plan to reach that goal. But how likely are we to persist in achieving the objectives we’ve set if we are not 100 % invested in them…if we are not aligned internally?

Time after time I’ve worked with entrepreneurs who have mapped out excellent strategic plans.

They have set their goals, their time lines, and have broken their plan into smaller steps. Many have even taken some of those steps. Then, paralysis sets in. They find themselves STUCK and for the life of them they can’t seem to figure out why they can’t or won’t move forward.

The result? Sometimes they’ll force themselves to fulfill the objectives but find that doing so exhausts them. Other times they will abandon the goals all together, searching for another option that seems easier; more attainable. All the while, confidence and energy levels plummet. For it to be truly successful, a business plan should connect the inner with the outer.

We must be fully engaged in knowing why the goal is important and how it relates to our own values and purpose. We have to FEEL that connection and want it not only for an outer result (money, fame, power, etc.) but for how it resonates with who we really are at our core.

So, where do you start? First, do some intense visioning. You’ll want to find time without interruption and allow yourself the space to fully explore your future experience. It’s especially helpful to close your eyes, breathe deeply, and reach a state of relaxation before starting.

Then crystallize what you see in your ideal life at some specified time.
- What are you doing?
- How many people are surrounding and supporting you?
- What are they like?
- How much or little are you working? And what does that work life entail?
- How does your day flow? Where are you? And what do your surroundings look like?
- How do you feel?

The more vivid your future dream, the more real it will become for you.

So play with it!

Experience it fully and involve all your senses in the experience of that future moment. Once you’ve reached a life vision that resonates deeply with you, it’s time to reverse engineer your plan. Ask yourself, “to get to that vision, what must be true for me?”

Check in with your values to see how the envisioned future honors them. And explore WHY this plan is so meaningful to you. As you connect these dots, you will experience a profound shift in
energy.

Creating your plan from THAT place gives it a whole new dimension and a much greater likelihood of success.