Strategic PLANNING

It takes discipline, leadership and practice – not inspiration  – to become a change agent.

         People leaders must focus on basic functions to bring about changes in an organisation such as Strategic Planning, Organising, Directing, Controlling, Communicating and Motivation.

        Strategic planning is essential and is the starting point and should involve the following, a vision (mission or a policy statement), goals, environmental scan, situation audit, swot analysis, objectives, tasks to be done and an action plan.

A handful of tips to help make changes in an organisation

         A vision, mission or a policy statement should define the ambitions of the organisation. It should give the organisation something to aim for. “To be the best…..” etc

* Goals are the desired results

Goals are like a destination of a journey – the end of your effort.

* Try An environmental scan

         A scan involves investigative research and should tell you what’s going on around you. What is the competition up to? What is the future international situation? Will a changing political climate make any difference?

* A situation audit helps you take a hard look at your organisation

          What is the true situation? What do we do best? What could we do better? What shouldn’t we be doing?

*A SWOT analysis is well worthwhile

Look at the organisations Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunity and Threats and will help clarify the areas that need attention.

* Make S.M.A.R.T Objectives

         Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and completed on Time.

         Prepare a list of tasks to meet your goals and objectives. Who does what by when? Carve big tasks into small bites and deal with only one bite at a time.     

         “At the beginning, there was much to do but by whittling away the tasks became few.”

* Prepare an action plan

          Who does what by when? “A plan is not a static thing – it’s dynamic and changes must be made to respond to a changing environment.”

         Keep asking how could we do better?

         A good people leader is the linchpin, the co-ordinator and the communicator between teams and clients.

         Get people involved. Seek their help and give them responsibility and praise for good jobs done. Create situations they respond to because they really want to.

-Geoffrey Moss (mossassociates.co.nz)

“The price of greatness is responsibility”

For amplification of this topic see “Managing for Tomorrow. A mentor for New Team Leaders” first published by Moss Associates, New Zealand and by VIKAS Publishing House, India and the Singapore Institute of Management.