How to bring strategic vision to life

By: The Capella University Editorial Team with Dr. Annette Craven, PhD, CPA, CPC, ELI-MP, CTDS, Capella University faculty

Reading time: 2 minutes

Dr. Annette Craven, PhD, CPA, CPC, ELI-MP, CTDS, grew up on a farm, so it’s no surprise she still thinks in farming analogies. As an executive coach, transition strategist and Capella University faculty member, Dr. Craven sees clear parallels between farming and strategic planning.

• Prepare the soil – determine the need for the plan and involve the right stakeholders
• Plant the seeds – open discussions about organizational vision and objectives
• Water diligently – keep senior leaders apprised as the plan develops
• Pull the weeds – identify and remove barriers to strategic priorities
• Harvest and store – finalize the report that captures the plan’s details

The problem, Dr. Craven notes, is what happens next. “It’s such a shame after all of the hard work, countless meetings and diligent critical thinking that strategic plans are so often essentially abandoned,” she says. “A critical component of the strategic planning process is to share the plan with the broader organization in a way that creates a culture of planning for every employee.”

To put a plan into action:

1. Create a one-page strategy summary – priorities, owners, timelines and progress measures
2. Use it in recurring leadership and team meetings
3. Connect individual goals to those priorities and flag barriers early

Distill and share

Sharing a strategic plan doesn’t mean emailing a 300-page report once. It means building a culture where the vision and priorities are continually discussed and measured – where every employee’s goals and job description ladder up to them.

“If you don’t share it, employees will often automatically assume that there is no strategic plan,” Dr. Craven explains. “It’s also important to note that sharing it is not a one-time event. It should be an ongoing strategy.”

Dr. Craven’s advice: keep it simple. “Don’t overwhelm employees with the excruciating details and background contained in most strategic plans. Instead, distill the plan down to its most inspirational elements. Keep the focus on the go-forward vision.”

She points to three principles for building this culture:

• Transparency
• Ongoing communication
• Openness to innovation

Start at the top

These principles only take hold if leaders model them first. “Employees will see what the leaders are doing and mimic it,” Dr. Craven adds. “If leaders don’t share, or they lack transparency, employees won’t share either.”

Dr. Craven recommends recurring alignment check-ins where leaders ask their teams:

• How does your work relate to our strategic priorities?
• How are you progressing toward those goals?
• Which activities aren’t aligned – and should they continue?

The payoff: accountability

When a culture of planning takes hold, accountability follows naturally – employees understand exactly how their work contributes to the larger vision.

“We no longer live in an era of companies being successful just because of the CEO,” Dr. Craven says. “Today’s companies are successful because of employees who feel informed, valued and empowered. At the end of the day, a thoughtfully communicated strategic plan creates accountability and sets everyone on the same course to achieve a common goal."