We have to be honest – strategic planning can often be over-rated. Don’t misunderstand – strategic planning is critical for every company that wants to at least survive the tests of time and competition. It is over-rated because by itself, it adds no value to the business. A company can have all the right ideas and strategies and still fail miserably if it cannot implement and execute!

10% of business is strategy, and 90% of business is implementation and execution. The vision of an executive who sits in a comfortable office all day doing nothing is not realistic – either that executive or that company or both will falter in the near future. 

Our experience shows that it is very difficult for a company to truly take-on and accomplish more than two or three major strategic initiatives in a year. An example might be to open a new distribution channel for your products. This takes a lot of work and effort, not to mention the demands it places on the cash flow and resources of the business. Through the strategic planning process, the executives determine this is the most beneficial course of action for the company. Then the executives oversee and drive the implementation and execution of this new initiative. 

Our CFOs never participate in strategic planning and then leave the company to figure out how to implement and execute the strategies effectively. We are hands-on executives that know that the only value of strategic planning comes from the implementation of the strategies of the firm.