Begin with the end in mind for your strategic planning session

Autumn isn’t the only season for strategic planning sessions – every year more banks and credit unions opt to hold their sessions at different times of the year. Regardless of when you conduct your strategic planning session, however, there are keys to success you can learn from ahead of time. Following are a few.

• Begin with the end in mind. Ask yourself a few simple questions before the strategic planning session; questions such as “what would be the outcome of a perfect strategic planning session?” or “how in the world will we measure the results of our strategic initiatives?” As author Jim Collins notes, if you “begin with the end in mind,” your chances as strategic planning success increase.
• Diagnose your strategic planning team. Think about the people that will be around the table. Is the chemistry there? Is it an amicable group? Do they trust each other? Are there open hostilities and/or hidden discord? The makeup of your strategic planning team directly impacts the success or failure of the session. Build a team that you know will work not only together but also in the best interests of your bank or credit union.

 

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