Strategic Planning

Most strategic planning processes include a neatly-written vision statement that resonates with those who crafted it. They put their values and hopes for their organization into that document and it feels inspiring right away.  But over time the excitement fades thanks to the daily grind of emails, crises, meetings, and everything else that bogs us […]

In many states, local governments are expected—sometimes legally required—to produce long-term strategic plans. When leaders ask how to refresh their vision, the default response is often to publish a new strategic plan every five years or release something ambitious like a “2040 Master Plan.” Those documents are usually thoughtful and well-intentioned. But to many constituents—and

If you’ve been around the public sector leadership table, you’ve almost certainly experienced this annual retreat rite of passage. You know the one. A 30-minute activity to “workshop” the organization’s vision statement that turns into a two-hour spiral of wordsmithing and nitpicking. I’ve sat in that room too many times and consistently leave wondering, what