New Take on Strat. Planning, Posted By Jim
I just returned (literally) from the Strategic Planning Committee Meetings in Chicago. Actually, I spent this entire week in Chicago. In fact, the entire 2008 Leadership Team has been in NAR’s Chicago office this week for lots and lots of things but most importantly the Strategic Planning Committee, and I want, no, I need to say how I impressed I am with this year’s committee.
I’ve participated in these meetings in the past, and what struck me most this time was not just how many new faces were in the room, but also how engaged these new participants were in the planning discussion. I found the new committee members, many of whom have been in the business less than five years and are active every day, have a very strong sense of where the business is headed and what NAR needs to do long-term to help our members succeed. Sometimes I wonder why it’s so easy for these younger folks to figure this out and the rest of us struggle so much. Age has a funny way of doing those things!
So, while it’s important to have the “old” guys like me there to lend our perspective, I am proud that we have created an environment where all members feel vested in the future of our Association.
Believe me when I tell you that NAR’s Second Century is in very good hands. The next generation of REALTORS® really does understand what the real estate profession is all about – and they have lots of wonderful ideas to get us where we need to be and to keep our Association at the top of everyone’s list for the future. – Jim Helsel, 2008 NAR Treasurer
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Do you know of an organization that performs extremely well during a crisis? Maybe your own?
Organizations do well during times of crisis because executives, managers, and individual contributors all gain clarity of purpose, action, and expectation. Clarity, along with a sense of urgency, breaks down organizational barriers allowing people to work together efficiently towards the singular goal. These factors enable the organization to resolve the crisis quickly and return to normal operations.
On a day-to-day basis, especially during a period of continuous success, organizations tend to lose clarity of purpose and the sense of urgency. Over time, bureaucracy builds as a diminished focus on the organization’s mission prevents well intentioned executives and managers from relentlessly eliminating resource waste. Bloated processes make cross-organizational execution more difficult; driving employees to focus on their personal performance and success instead of that of the organization. Silos form and performance declines. Therefore, it is critically important for leaders to clearly define the organization’s goals and actions and to instill the sense of urgency that motivates employees to work effectively and efficiently together in pursuit of mission objectives.
Strategic planning provides the foundation for creating clarity of purpose and action on a day-to-day basis. A well defined, measureable mission supported by specific organizational objectives and reinforced by vertically cascaded, horizontally shared performance measures and effective executive and managerial oversight creates and maintains the clarity of purpose needed for continuous success. Without the unifying vision provided by strategic planning, an organization may lose sight of its goals, stray from the road to success, stumble, and ultimately fall; failing to keep pace with competitors in today’s extremely aggressive marketplace.
Final Thought…
Some organizations become victims to cyclic performance. When this occurs, the downward slide is typically viewed as a crisis for which the organization rallies to improve performance. Having realized a performance upswing, the organization becomes complacent, losing its focus and once again falling behind the competition. This cycle is often the product of ineffective strategic planning and will likely continue until a strong, unified vision is created and embraced by all members of the organization.
It is the hope of all StrategyDriven contributors that the concepts and materials provided on our website (www.StrategyDriven.com) will help you to develop and communicate the unified vision needed to make your organization truly StrategyDriven.
All the Best,
Nathan Ives
Principal Contributor and
co-Host, StrategyDriven Podcast
StrategyDriven
www.StrategyDriven.com
Posted by: Nathan Ives | June 30, 2008 10:26 PM