What is a Strategic Plan?
A strategic plan is a map of how you are going to achieve defined goals and the indicators you will use to determine success. In most cases this includes your company vision & mission, core values, outcomes/ objectives, focus areas, accountability, and finally KPIs.
In short, it is a look at where you are now vis-à-vis where you want to be and what will get you there. It also includes measures of success; are you getting closer to your goals?
Clarity in Strategic Planning
One of the most important elements of your strategic plan is clarity of vision and purpose. There are two stages of the strategic planning process during which you can ensure this clarity.
First is during the creation of the strategic plan. Make sure your vision and purpose are clear and easily understood by everyone.
Second is during the communication of your strategic plan to your team. There are certain things you can do as you are speaking about your strategic plan to ensure that it is well-understood by everyone.
3 Simple Ways to Effectively Communicate Your Strategy to Your Team
Use Clear Language
There is a common misconception, especially in the corporate world, that the more complex the language in business communication, the more sophisticated a document or a person will sound.
Unfortunately, clear communication has less to do with complexity of vocabulary and more to do with understanding. If the recipient of your message has not understood what you’re saying then you have not achieved the main goal of communication.
This can be solved by using other mediums aside from written communication. Regularly speaking about your strategic plan to your staff during meetings, for example, is a good way to get them as hooked to the plan as you are.
Encourage Feedback from Your Staff
The best ideas are often hidden within your team, you just have to reach out and grab them. The best way to do this is to encourage your staff to share their ideas and opinions. This way, you can know whether or not they understand the strategic plan and especially the vision, mission and values.
Relate with Your Staff Like You Are One of Them
The truth is walking around like the big boss hardly builds rapport with your staff. One way you can build rapport is to remove the corporate language from your communication and speak as if these were your friends that you were explaining the end goal of your business to.
This personal kind of a relation is received more positively than a stiff email that sounds more like a robot than a man. These are just some of the methods we have found effective in our own business when it comes to communicating our strategic plan.
The result has been an influx of ideas from the staff to our CEO and a better understanding of where we are going as a team. Everyone knows what they are individually required to do get there.
What methods do you currently use to ensure everyone in your company is on board the strategic plan train? Let us know in the comments section.