BLOG | Why Strategic Planning? Why StratOp?

Planning is not strategic planning.

Planning is like getting in your car to drive across town at 4 o’clock on a Friday and not using Google Maps. You’re simply going to go the way you’ve always gone—getting whatever comes your way. This requires no forethought, no anticipation, and no “what ifs”.

Strategic planning, on the other hand, is intentionally choosing a route that will get you to your destination while considering traffic patterns, road construction, weather conditions, and how much gas is in your tank.

This way gives you multiple routes to choose from.

If you want to grow and have confidence that your chosen direction is the right direction, you have to stop and think, and plan strategically.

So, why StratOp?

StratOp stands for STRATegic Operations. Tom Paterson invented the StratOp process as he worked with the Disney, IBM, Northrop Grumman, and others. Peter Drucker called Tom the Practitioner of Process.

There is no other process in the marketplace that crafts a strategic plan with a proven operational framework. As such, StratOp brings to the table a 40+ year success record for both nonprofits and for-profits impacting thousands of organizations.

If you are a student of strategy, you know about other planning processes available, but there are differences.

Most planning processes start with vision. They beg the question, “where do you want to be in one, three, five, or ten years”? On the surface this makes sense, and you’ll certainly be able to build a good plan on paper starting this way.

But that’s where your plan will wither. The fatal flaw in strategic planning is to start with vision alone.

But, why?

Because everyone has their own vision. The old adage, “we see things not as they are but as we are”, still rings true.

StratOp’s perspective phase brings together operations, finance, sales, marketing, ownership, human resources, to climb the mountain of perspective so that when a vision is created, it’s from the top of the same mountain, looking in the same direction, seeing the same obstacles, considering the same problems, and visualizing the same opportunities.

If you fail to start with everyone sharing the same perspective, then you will have competing visions.

Thus the most unique and innovative contribution the StratOp process brings to strategic planning is in its initial perspective phase. Beginning here before tackling vision will ensure you and your organization are all atop the same mountain, looking down upon the same steps of how you got there.

See how we can build perspective vision for your organization. Schedule a demo with me today!