How to create a Vision Statement that drives strategic planning

Yes. And Maybe. A Vision Statement defines the future destination a business is working towards. Therefore, if a business wants to grow and develop in a particular way, it is helpful to have a vision that defines that outcome so it creates a focus for decision-making.

For larger or more complex businesses a Vision Statement is an effective planning tool. However, for smaller businesses, going through a structured process to create a Vision Statement isn’t always necessary. In fact many businesses survive quite well without a documented vision because the business owner, or CEO, has a vision in their head which is never written down but still helps to guide their decisions.

Strategic Stagnation occurs when the implementation of a strategic plan stalls due to it being treated as a one‑off event rather than an ongoing program of work. To avoid Strategic Stagnation, you need:

• A regular review rhythm across the organisation
• Clear accountability for priority projects
• Tools or processes that keep the plan visible in management discussions
• Performance tracking

In most cases the key to successful implementation of a strategic plan is commitment from senior leadership to maintain accountability and a focus on achieving progress.

The strategic plan sets direction, but the real value for the organisation comes from translating that direction into an operational or implementation plan. This involves:

• Breaking each strategic priority into multiple operational goals
• Identifying the specific actions required to accomplish each goal
• Allocating accountability
• Setting time frames
• Defining how you will measure progress to ensure day‑to‑day activities clearly link back to the strategic priorities

This can often be a little uncomfortable for the participants as it requires people to accept responsibility for achieving outcomes. That’s why it’s important to have deeper discussion and reflection on priorities to be sure everyone is focused on the ‘right’ things. It can be helpful for each team or business unit to take time after the strategy session to fine tune their goals and actions, and then report that back to senior leadership for final agreement.

Strategic planning looks further into the future, often 3 to 5 years. Whereas operational planning is usually based on the next 12 months, usually working within the budgeting cycle of a business.

After a strategic plan is developed, an operational plan is created to show how the chosen strategies will be actioned over the next year, with timelines and accountabilities defined.

Ideally your strategic plan should be managed as a living document with operational goals being a regular point of discussion. In most situations the strategic direction should be revisited regularly rather than waiting for the next big planning retreat, which for some companies may only be every few years. Successful organisations build in at least an annual review, and for dynamic business environments more frequent check‑ins are best. These updates should reassess the original assumptions and environmental influences, adjust priorities, and ensure the plan still reflects current risks and opportunities.

Yes. In most cases it is very helpful to ask employees for input when creating a strategic plan. Which employees you involve, and what you ask them, varies depending on each business.

Senior employees, or the management team, are often the ones involved in strategic planning because they usually have a broader knowledge and deeper experience. However it can be useful to gain a different perspective and ask other staff for their input using feedback forms, a survey, or small group discussions within work teams.

To cope with internal resources being stretched by new strategic initiatives, consider:

• Reflecting on the overall goals for each team or business unit. What needs to change, be delayed, or removed, to make space for the new initiatives?
• Nominating someone with a suitable level of authority to be the ‘custodian’ for each major goal – so the goal isn’t forgotten or overlooked. They are responsible for ensuring action to achieve the goal (not necessarily doing the work themselves).
• Engaging external support to help bridge the strategic–operational gap. This is most effective once there is clarity around priorities.
• Designing and implementing simple tracking mechanisms. Remember the management maxim (adjusted by Stuart Ayling): “What gets measured is more likely to get managed, and what is managed gets done”.
• Coaching managers to manage their choices, not time, and improve their broader management skills to integrate strategic actions into their regular workflows.

The role of the strategic planning facilitator doesn’t have to end when the workshop finishes. The best outcomes are achieved by involving the facilitator to:

• Help refine and document the plan
• Support the leadership team to develop implementation priorities
• Assist leadership to critically assess the scope and timing of goals
• Provide an external perspective to keep discussions focused and outcomes aligned with the agreed direction. It can be invaluable to draw on the facilitators external perspective along with insight earned from working through many planning cycles.

Once the workshop is complete, the first step is to ensure you have captured and clarified the outputs so everyone is working from the same page. This usually means documenting key decisions, strategic priorities, and operational goals and tasks (if done). Additionally there may have been discussion and/or agreement on shifts in the Vision, values, or direction of particular business units. This should all be recorded with a suitable summary provided to relevant participants and stakeholders.