Strategic planning is an organization’s process of defining its future direction and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this direction -“a set of aimed at targets”.
The strategic management process is about getting from point A to point B more effectively, efficiently, enjoying the journey and learning from it.
Part of that journey is the strategy and part of it is execution. Having a good strategy dictates “how” you travel the road you have selected and effective execution makes sure you are checking in along the way. Strategic planning, is typically and establish new ones, set goals, align resources and articulate in detail the direction, tactics and activities that the entire group will engage in.
What Strategic Planning is NOT:
- A leadership event
- About filling out a template / ticking boxes
- A one-time event
It is imperative that the leadership of your club takes ownership of this activity and together with members develop and/or update a Strategic Plan for your club. This activity should commence long before the start of the new Rotary year and become incorporated as part of your club's annual planning and preparation activities. It is important that you do not over complicate this process, as sometimes, in preparing to seek out where you are at the moment and where you wish to be as a club, you tend to develop a ‘laundry list’ of questions which prove to be too time consuming and, at most times, inevitably ignored by members.
The use of the START/STOP/CONTINUE reflective tool:
(1) What should we START doing?
(2) What should we STOP doing? and
(3) What should we CONTINUE doing?
Together with a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis should be sufficient to garner information to work with.
The last survey revealed that less than half of the clubs in District 7030 had a Strategic Plan – and this is worrying! As an important aspect of ensuring institutional knowledge is preserved, a Strategic Plan also ensures that there is a seamless transition and continuity from year to year in a club. Though each Club President would like to ‘stamp’ his or her year in officer with certain achievements and unique characteristics and accomplishments, this may only work for a year or two. The real question that all members of a club in leadership roles should ask in such scenarios is whether what they want is ‘Beneficial To All Concerned’ versus what is needed.
We often hear of the lack of engagement of members and here we have the perfect opportunity to engage, excite and ultimately inspire members with a wealth of knowledge sitting in the club to be part of the process – the very ones who would then ensure the success of activities.
It is not too late or too early to start this process as planning is of paramount importance post COVID 19, the uncertain future – as Past District Governor Joe Otin – (District 9212) said:
“What distinguishes defining moments in our history is not the nature of the crisis, but rather the quality of the decisions that we make.”
PP Liz Cox, Member of the District Training Committee
Email: casii@networksgy.com
Email: casii@networksgy.com