Is Your Strategic Planning Session Strategically Planned?
If done appropriately, strategic planning can help guide a credit union toward making necessary decisions for the credit union’s future. Strategic planning session(s) can outline where the credit union is now, determine where the credit union wants to be in the future and brainstorm how to get there.
Below are some questions to consider when implementing strategic planning:
- Does everyone know their part? Sometimes, participants in a strategic planning meeting do not understand why they are there. They may be in the meeting because someone asked them to attend, but they don’t understand that their opinion might be valuable. Everyone should feel comfortable speaking up, asking questions and pushing back when appropriate. To do this, everyone in attendance should know why they are investing their time in the meeting
- Are personal agendas left at the door? Some participants might believe that a strategic planning meeting is the perfect opportunity to include their personal agendas in the credit union’s future plans. For instance, a participant might want to beef up technology for personal ease of banking. But if the credit union’s target market and chief source of profitable income abhors technology, then this agenda should be left at the door. Setting decision filters that are kept top of mind as strategic decisions are made can help keep the group focused
