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Trying to lead an initiative, but getting nowhere fast? Maybe your strategy needs an overhaul. Writer Emma Bullen has tips on how to create a strategic plan that will knock your boss’s socks off.
Chinese General and author of the Art of War, Sun Tzu once said, “All the men can see the tactics I use to conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which great victory is evolved.”
In the office, as on the battlefield, a brilliant strategy can often lead to a great victory. The critical element is making sure your strategic plan is as bright as day to your work colleagues so they can help you implement and execute on it.
How do you create a great strategy? Well, there are no set rules, or you can be sure Sun Tzu would have created one of those nice checklists you see in stationery stores. The good news is that most strategies do follow a similar pattern.
Start Where You Are
Every good strategy starts with an analysis of where you are now and what you have to work with. A SWOT analysis (where you review your current Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) is a powerful tool that can help you quickly kick off your strategy.
Set a Mission
Based on your SWOT analysis, you should be able to set a mission. This is the essential element for a successful strategy — you need to have a goal in order to achieve it. Take time to fully reflect over a mission and refine it until you have a vision statement that can be clearly articulated so it is easy for all stakeholders to remember and rally behind.
Ask, “What if”
Great strategists are able to anticipate future obstacles as well as spot opportunities. Asking “what if” will help you visualize possible roadblocks or speed boosts and plan a range of responses if they occur. Learn to describe what you foresee in order to influence and persuade others.
Tactics are Your Toolbox
Guided by your mission statement, talk to others about alternative ways to reach your goal. Be prepared to talk about why you are choose the tactics that you want to implement and why you discard others.
“All the men can see the tactics I use to conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which great victory is evolved.” – Shun Tzu
Detailed discussions about which tactics to draw on now is time well spent. What you learn here will help you become stronger at creating strategic plans in the future.
Set Success Indicators
Everything goes back to the mission. You can only achieve your goal if you know what it is and how it breaks down into parts. Don’t measure your success indicators against your tactics; measure them against your mission. Consider what data you will need to gather to demonstrate your future success.
Make a Commitment
When you are ready to choose the best way forward, commit to your strategy by setting defined deliverables and setting expectations around ownership. We’re talking about operational planning and time lines here, so this is where buy in from your stakeholders is essential. Make sure everyone’s on board and understands the mission so they can commit and carry it out.
Be Willing to Lose Some Battles
“In order to win the war, some battles must be lost,” said H. Jackson Brown Jr. (not a Chinese warlord). Don’t expect everything to go perfectly; Successful strategists cull and discard the paths that divert from the mission and spend time managing and adapting their plans as they are carried out.
If you’ve taken the time to plan a wide range of responses, you’ll be ready to react to whatever events occur. When the time comes, present your plan with purpose. If you’ve followed the steps above, you’ve created a strategy worth shouting about.
Emma is a writer and editor with 15 years of experience in print, web, and mobile publishing. British by birth and Canadian by residence, she is passionate about learning, storytelling — and em dashes.
Can you sort through the clutter and find the best strategy in seconds? We’d like to hear from you! Share your stories and let us know how you show off your strategic skills in the comments section below.