As a consultant who helps orgs with strategic planning, you bring up some very good points. Too often, the strategic plan becomes wall art.
I like the analogy (and use it myself) that a strategic plan is akin to a GPS system—leading you to a destination. It shouldn’t limit you, but guide you (how else do you know where you’re going or when you’ve “arrived.”).
Connie, thank you for this, and I love that you've landed on the GPS analogy too. There's something about that image that just captures it: the destination matters, the route is flexible, and the recalculating is a feature, not a failure. I enjoyed your post - "wall art" is exactly right, sigh. Those are some cringe-inducing stories you shared! We are definitely kindred spirits. Are you finding that organizations are more open to rethinking the process these days, or is the gravitational pull of "how we've always done it" still strong?
It will depend on the org. If there’s strong governance, the Board will see the value in being flexible. If there’s governance is weak (and the ED is also), then it will be the same old way “we’ve always done it.” The strategic plan becomes the goal (need to check that box) as opposed to becoming a useful tool.
Susan, I believe it, and it breaks my heart a little. All that time, money, and energy. All those stakeholder meetings and board retreats. And then a binder on a shelf. Your experience is exactly why I felt compelled to write this. It's not an occasional failure. It's a pattern nobody names out loud, so it just keeps repeating.
Thank you for saying it so plainly. That's thirty years of evidence that something needs to change.
“Strategy should work less like a fixed blueprint and more like GPS,” advises my friend and nonprofit leader Mike Le. I like that. Clear on the destination. Constantly recalculating the route as you learn, adapt, and respond to what the community actually needs. A two-year-old concrete plan doesn’t have that agility. Neither does a binder on a shelf.
Eric, thank you! That line belongs to my brilliant colleague Mike Le, who I think nailed it. "Constantly recalculating" is exactly the posture mission-driven organizations need right now. So glad it resonated! Are organizations that you are working with finding ways to build that kind of agility into how they work?
It’s always easier to regress to the mean—do things the way we’ve also done it. The solution? Be like Lincoln. You have to be willing to be unloved (even rivals m) but stick to your principles/the plan. (Note to self: That movie, and clearly the book it’s based on, needs to be revisited.)
Gregory, yes! The pull of "how we've always done it" is powerful precisely because it feels safe. Lincoln and "Team of Rivals" is such a rich example. He held his principles with fierce conviction while constantly adapting his tactics, his coalitions, his timing. He knew where true north was. But he was always recalculating the route. That's the distinction I keep coming back to: clarity of purpose as the non-negotiable, flexibility of method as the superpower. It would be fun to chat when you revisit the book!
As a consultant who helps orgs with strategic planning, you bring up some very good points. Too often, the strategic plan becomes wall art.
I like the analogy (and use it myself) that a strategic plan is akin to a GPS system—leading you to a destination. It shouldn’t limit you, but guide you (how else do you know where you’re going or when you’ve “arrived.”).
https://heynonprofitleader.substack.com/p/hey-nonprofit-leader-whats-keeping-1ff?r=3h366z&utm_medium=ios
Connie, thank you for this, and I love that you've landed on the GPS analogy too. There's something about that image that just captures it: the destination matters, the route is flexible, and the recalculating is a feature, not a failure. I enjoyed your post - "wall art" is exactly right, sigh. Those are some cringe-inducing stories you shared! We are definitely kindred spirits. Are you finding that organizations are more open to rethinking the process these days, or is the gravitational pull of "how we've always done it" still strong?
Leah—I am in Southern California, near Palm Springs. Where are you, kindred spirit??
It will depend on the org. If there’s strong governance, the Board will see the value in being flexible. If there’s governance is weak (and the ED is also), then it will be the same old way “we’ve always done it.” The strategic plan becomes the goal (need to check that box) as opposed to becoming a useful tool.
That makes so much sense, sounds like you are speaking from experience, bet there are stories there! I am in the DC area.
I worked for over 30 years in various nonprofits and not one of them ever used the strategic plan they developed and paid a lot of money for!
Susan, I believe it, and it breaks my heart a little. All that time, money, and energy. All those stakeholder meetings and board retreats. And then a binder on a shelf. Your experience is exactly why I felt compelled to write this. It's not an occasional failure. It's a pattern nobody names out loud, so it just keeps repeating.
Thank you for saying it so plainly. That's thirty years of evidence that something needs to change.
Well said!! I love this…
“Strategy should work less like a fixed blueprint and more like GPS,” advises my friend and nonprofit leader Mike Le. I like that. Clear on the destination. Constantly recalculating the route as you learn, adapt, and respond to what the community actually needs. A two-year-old concrete plan doesn’t have that agility. Neither does a binder on a shelf.
Eric, thank you! That line belongs to my brilliant colleague Mike Le, who I think nailed it. "Constantly recalculating" is exactly the posture mission-driven organizations need right now. So glad it resonated! Are organizations that you are working with finding ways to build that kind of agility into how they work?
Of course, that is the goal! I thought your assessment was spot on. Sadly, I think a lot of organizations do not function with that kind of agility.
Yes, I keep thinking about how we're often trapped in the tyranny of the urgent.
It’s always easier to regress to the mean—do things the way we’ve also done it. The solution? Be like Lincoln. You have to be willing to be unloved (even rivals m) but stick to your principles/the plan. (Note to self: That movie, and clearly the book it’s based on, needs to be revisited.)
Gregory, yes! The pull of "how we've always done it" is powerful precisely because it feels safe. Lincoln and "Team of Rivals" is such a rich example. He held his principles with fierce conviction while constantly adapting his tactics, his coalitions, his timing. He knew where true north was. But he was always recalculating the route. That's the distinction I keep coming back to: clarity of purpose as the non-negotiable, flexibility of method as the superpower. It would be fun to chat when you revisit the book!
That’s brilliant, Leah