In your strategic planning, do you consider:

• • Your workplace culture?
  • Your ability to adapt talent to what your future vision will require?
  • What learning or innovation is required to execute your strategy?

We may consider workplace challenges briefly in a SWOT (strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats) analysis, but often they do not make the cut as strategic priorities.

Instead, we “fix” workplace emergencies and miss workplace opportunities: We have a position we must fill now, toxicity has finally led to so many people leaving or underperforming that we are missing targets one after another, your first choice to succeed you just gave notice, etc.

We have to make room in our day(s) to fix emergencies.  That can be overwhelming. And overwhelm is just one symptom of a bigger problem: while we are fixing emergencies, progress toward the strategic objectives we prioritized has now fallen behind.

If we had included workplace strategy in our longer-term strategy and as a strategic priority before the challenges became emergencies, we’d be ahead vs. behind.

How might you better prepare for the future?

In your strategic planning, do you consider:

• • Your workplace culture?
  • Your ability to adapt talent to what your future vision will require?
  • What learning or innovation is required to execute your strategy?

We may consider workplace challenges briefly in a SWOT (strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats) analysis, but often they do not make the cut as strategic priorities.

Instead, we “fix” workplace emergencies and miss workplace opportunities: We have a position we must fill now, toxicity has finally led to so many people leaving or underperforming that we are missing targets one after another, your first choice to succeed you just gave notice, etc.

We have to make room in our day(s) to fix emergencies.  That can be overwhelming. And overwhelm is just one symptom of a bigger problem: while we are fixing emergencies, progress toward the strategic objectives we prioritized has now fallen behind.

If we had included workplace strategy in our longer-term strategy and as a strategic priority before the challenges became emergencies, we’d be ahead vs. behind.

How might you better prepare for the future?

Leaders focus on people

Strategy is about leadership, not management. Strategic planning is about setting direction. Management is about executing strategy, that is, managing work. Don’t manage strategy.

“Leadership is the creation of positive, non-incremental change, including the creation of a vision to guide that change—a strategy—the empowerment of people to make the vision happen despite obstacles, and the creation of a coalition of energy and momentum that can move that change forward”

~ John P. Kotter

In a strategic planning meeting, you are revisiting your vision and mission, and developing a plan, game-plan, and objectives—so that your organization remains successful, and vibrant. A vibrant business is not only highly valued by investors and potential acquirers, it also stays ahead of change and is a great place to work. It’s people who drive success, not work.

“Who you are as a person is going to have more to do with your success in whatever you’re choosing to do than anything else.”

~ Alan Mulally

Three steps to incorporate workplace into strategy

While there are many shifts and steps you can take to start weaving workplace strategy, and especially culture, into strategic planning, here are three steps that can make a big difference:

1. 1. Revisit your vision, asking the question, “What do we need to be, do, or have with respect to people (what values, behaviors, capability, etc.)?”
   2. Create a system of discovering what “is” (now) in your workplace culture. A system is more than simply a process of gathering data. A system brings together processes, people, reports, tech, etc., to efficiently deliver results—which, in this case, is data that can support meaningful progress from what “is” to what your vision is calling for.
   3. Plan what actions you will take with the data, and be sure to take them. You are asking for input so you must follow with action for your system to support the positive change you are wanting to make.

p.s. If you haven’t brought HR to the strategy table, do that first.