This month’s Forum magazine (Association Forum of Chicagoland) has yet another article talking about the “new” strategic planning.
I still wish these articles would resist the temptation to stay with the term “strategic planning.” Language is so powerful. Calling something the same thing, but expecting it to work radically differently, seems like a bad idea to me. But ultimately I agree with the major points in the article. It talks about strategic thinking (see our article from May 2005). It emphasizes the importance of knowing WHY you do things (as opposed to taking certain activities for granted, like professional development).
This has been a major thrust of the work Jeff and I have done. We have consistently asked clients to get clear on exactly what drives the success of their organization. I think too many associations feel that this is an easy question to answer (increase membership, get more sponsors, pass more legislation, enroll more people in classes, etc.). As I think our clients can attest, it is most decidedly NOT an easy question to answer. And it’s the quality of your answer that drives the rest of both your strategy efforts and your planning efforts.
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