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2Ns Structural Marketing |
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Strategy & Planning |
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Too often, organizations begin the planning process by making a fundamental mistake: they define their goals and objectives.
Goals and objectives are outcomes, and as a preliminary planning tool they only serve to limit the organization. When you set a goal, you eliminate all other possibilities and reduce the organization’s ability to respond to opportunity. It’s like putting blinders on a horse; unrestricted a horse can see about 350°, almost all the way around; with blinders on, their field of vision is reduced to about 65°, to just what’s in front of them.
Instead, the first step in planning should be to generate a list of possible strategies. Strategies define the How and Why, and answer questions like “How can we thrive in an economic downturn?” and “Why should we explore a brand extension?” They are not tactical elements that answer the Who, What, Where, and When questions. Strategies are fundamental forces that drive your organization forward and do not change appreciably over time.
Tactics, on the other hand, change all the time. The birth of the World Wide Web was a seismic shift socially, economically and technologically, but it wouldn’t have affected your strategies if you planned well. What it changed virtually overnight was your tactical plan.
Once you have looked at your possible strategies, the next step is to select those that are most likely to benefit you while keeping your risk levels acceptable. These become the foundation of your planning and may not change for years or even decades. Then, move down a level and put together a detailed tactical plan that will carry you for the first year. Outline the second year, and begin that detailed plan within six months. This keeps you flexible and able to respond to those seismic events, large and small.
Lastly, estimate the performance of your strategies and their potential. Only then should you articulate your goals and objectives. Now you have maximized the potential of your organization. Your horse has no blinders on, and with a slight movement of her head, she can see the entire world.
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