North Star, Vision and Strategy
My first step when facilitating strategies for organisations is develop with them a vision that they all agree upon.
At an early stage of my career I thought this to be a management speak mumbo-jumbo exercise. Now, I view this as essential. Pulling together a Board or Exec team with an agreed upon vision can iron out individual biases which could later on could derail progress. Once the vision has been thrashed out (and yes it is a painful exercise), then the strategic plan that enables the vision follows naturally and makes sense.
Sad as it may sound, I enjoy the painful process of drawing out a vision from a Board/Team. I liken it to a massage. You work on it, pushing hard at the knots, and then suddenly there is an ahhhh moment when it all settles into place and feels good.
But how do you choose a vision?
I prefer a vision to be one that is achievable in three years. Five years or more can lead to complacency, whereas three years enables a tighter schedule to keep on track.
Some prefer a vision to have numbers attached to it, for example $XXX,000 in revenue or profit.
Personally, I find a numbers approach to be artificial and prefer a vision linked to a position I want to achieve. For example, IP strategist of choice - which I can measure through having a reduced marketing budget or increased Google rankings or having to turn away work.
Charities may have a vision to have a sustainable income which may not require them having to fund-raise.
The key is to view the vision as a North Star - a single metric that reflects the most significant value your organisation is wanting to achieve.
The term North Star is powerful as it is a guiding light.
If the Board Chair has the discipline to look to the North Star and ensure that the strategic plan is core to each Board meeting, then decisions are more easily made - as they will be referenced against the plan which in turn is derived from achieving the vision.
Whatever the vision, it has to
a) resonate with the top tier and the organisation as a whole, and
b) be measurable, and
c) be translatable to an actionable strategic plan
So, when you are in a strategic planning exercise, please recognise the importance of vision, the principle of the North Star and that to achieve the vision, the strategic plan has to be in a form that can be readily implemented.