There is a familiar saying that goes, "If you don't know where you are heading, any road will do." Clearly, the best organizations and their leaders not only know where they are heading but also have a carefully considered plan for how they will get there.
Knowing that the organization needs a plan and undertaking a strategic planning process are two different things, however. Far too many planning processes take too long, gobble-up staff and volunteer resources, and result in generalities or in a product of limited value. At Starboard Leadership Consulting we appreciate the investment of time and resources that strategic planning requires, and we will work with you to develop a planning process that meets your timeline, stays reasonable in scope, and delivers effective strategies to guide your organization to future success.
Our planning experience with dozens of clients (for-profit and non-profit) has demonstrated that successful strategic planning cannot be accomplished with a "one-size-fits-all" approach. Before we recommend any specific approach to strategic planning, we spend time getting to know your organization, assessing your needs, and working with you to tailor a planning process that will deliver.
Among the planning components that we provide our clients are the following:
- Conduct an environmental scan – Using the data that exists or that can be gathered, it is important to start a planning process with a firm grasp of the trends, the realities of your clients, and the factors that impact the environment in which you are working. In addition to reviewing data, we can survey or interview key informants and stakeholders.
- Produce a shared vision – Clarity of vision is an essential ingredient in strategic planning. Without it, it becomes almost impossible to develop the strategic priorities that guide the plan and serve as the framework for action planning. Whether it is a management team, a planning committee, or a board of directors leading the planning process, we can work with you to efficiently develop a compelling, shared vision for your organization.
- Shape the mission and values – While we have helped organizations reconsider and rewrite their mission statements, more often than not we find that our work with them includes some essential conversations that result in an affirmation of the mission and of the values that have guided the organization for years.
- Develop priorities and core strategies – A successful planning process will result in a small number of carefully consider strategic priorities, as well as the strategies to achieve them. We will help you reach agreement on the priorities that will guide your organization into the future.
- Create action plans with measurable objectives – At this level, it is time to get very concrete and very practical in answering the "what, by when, and by who?" questions. We will work with you to ensure that you have a tangible work plan that is linked to a budget and measurable objectives (including methods for gauging progress).
- Provide ongoing support and evaluate progress – Many of our clients find that it is helpful to have our support at points throughout the year to keep the work moving forward, to support staff, and to help the management team or board evaluate progress.
Examples of our Strategic Planning work
- An economic development organization faced a shifting business environment, the loss of funding for some core programs, and a new leader who was seeking clear direction from the board. In their case, we engaged in scenario planning—where they developed alternative strategies that could be employed in the shifting landscape in which they worked. We tested the scenarios and strategy options with business and professional stakeholders and conducted planning sessions that engaged the entire staff. In the end, we coached the staff and board through a process that resulted in a new business model and strategies that prepared them to take a leadership role in an uncertain economic environment.
- A college sought to develop a strategic plan that would be responsive to the needs of the regional business community—those businesses that were most likely to hire the college's graduates. Our work focused on leading discussion groups in multiple locations around the region and developing a set of core "themes" to guide the college's strategic planning process. With our help, they collected some extremely helpful input about the college's current programs and some forecasting that helped them to shape their curriculum.
- An engineering firm was managing an ownership transition and saw strategic planning as an opportunity to engage staff in developing a plan and in "owning" the strategies for emerging from the economic recession as a leader in their industry. We worked with them to make choices about the business lines to develop, as well as those to drop, conduct an analysis of their competition and their own market niche, and develop the core elements of a marketing strategy...all while working within a culture that demanded financial rigor and measurable results.
Maine Strategic Planning Consultants – What's in a name?
Throughout our Starboard web site you will find that we often characterize ourselves as "Maine strategic planning consultants." In fact, before we came up with the name "Starboard Leadership Consulting," we even considered calling ourselves, "Maine Strategic Planning Consultants." The advice we received, however, was: "Don't let the name of your business limit you to serving a specific geographic area with a specific type of work. 'Maine Strategic Planning Consultants' might suggest you only work in Maine and that you only do strategic planning." That seemed like good advice at the time, and we've never regretted the Starboard name.
The reality, however, is that most of our clients come to us because we ARE Maine strategic planning consultants. They turn to us because we live in Maine. We know the environment in which they work and appreciate the challenges that they face. Our clients appreciate our years of experience working here, as well as the depth and breadth of relationships and contacts we can offer them. Most of all, they appreciate the practical, no-nonsense, and serious approach we bring to the work we do with our Maine strategic planning clients. That approach works whether your business or nonprofit is in Maine, Wyoming, or Sweden.
So our message is this: no matter where you live, we look forward to the opportunity to share with you our planning expertise and the wide range of experiences we have gained as Maine strategic planning consultants.
For more information please contact us at 207-992-4400
