Ultimate Guide to Strategic Planning and Execution in Business

Picture this.  A a smart, driven, no-nonsense business owner who built her company from the ground up. One of her peers told her that at her stage of growth, she needed a strategic plan, but she had no idea where to start.

So, she did what many CEOs and company leaders do: she brought in one of those big consulting firms to help with strategic planning. (It was probably her accounting firm, but we won’t go there 😊)

You know the type: Perfect, tailored suits. Immaculate presentations. Charisma. Hefty consulting fees.

The consultants showed up, asked a bunch of questions, held a ton of meetings, and then disappeared for weeks (or was it months? Honestly, it felt like forever). When they finally came back, they proudly handed over a giant binder.

This thing was a beast. Full of graphs, fancy charts, market projections—it was a work of art.  At first, there was a ton of excitement.  The team had A PLAN.  Very quickly, that excitement lessened and they got “back to their day jobs”.

Where did it end up? Right on the shelf to gather dust. Why? Because that old-school way of strategic planning is outdated and flawed. It’s what I call SPOTS—Strategic Plan On Top Shelf.

While that big binder was being perfected, then more so while it sat there, the market changed, your business changed, everything changed. Suddenly, that “masterpiece” you spent 10, 20, or even 50K on is already outdated.

That’s the old way and it’s a waste of time and money. Let’s talk about the new way.

You NEED to Start Agile Planning

Here’s the thing about the traditional approach: it’s like planning a trip to Disney World and you make a B line towards the destination. Yea, you’ll get there, but you’ll probably miss some pretty cool things along the way.

You might want to stop at that cool diner everyone’s been talking about. Or you saw a sign that there’s an incredible waterfall just 5 km from where you are. You’ll still get to your destination, but you’re making adjustments along the way that make the trip more fun!

The same thing goes for business. If you solely focus on those yearly goals, you’ll miss things along the way. What if the market changes, consumer behaviour changes, or God forbid, another pandemic!

While that’s all going on, you’re still laser focused on those goals you set in Q1. NEWSFLASH: They won’t work anymore! If you had checked-in and validated the goals more often, you could have adjusted. That’s why agile planning is an absolute must.

There are a number of common frameworks based on agile strategic planning. The two most popular ones are Scaling Up and EOS.

Scaling Up

Scaling Up is a system that was born out of the Rockefeller Habits, which are rooted in the business practices of one of the most successful entrepreneurs in history, John D. Rockefeller.

It’s built on several incredibly powerful principles that include everyone being aligned with the #1 thing that needs to be accomplished this quarter to move the company forward and making sure the executive team is healthy and aligned.

Scaling Up takes those principles and puts them into a framework that businesses can use today. It breaks down your big, audacious goals into manageable steps. And it’s not just about setting goals—it’s about getting everyone in your company aligned and pulling in the same direction.

Here’s a key part of Scaling Up: don’t just focus on strategic planning. Focus on strategic planning AND execution. An astonishing 61% of firms struggle to execute on their strategic plan.

So, you need to be taking those big goals and breaking them down into actionable steps that your team can execute on a daily, weekly, and quarterly basis.

EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System)

EOS offers another fantastic way to strategically plan (and execute) on organizational goals. It stands for Entrepreneurial Operating System, and it takes a lot of the same ideas from Scaling Up but makes them easier to digest and execute.

One of the key tools in EOS is the Vision Traction Organizer (VTO). Think of it as the anti-binder. Instead of a 400-page strategic plan that no one reads, you get a one-page document that lays out your vision and the key steps needed to achieve it. Simple, clear, and actionable.

With EOS, it’s all about creating traction in your business. That means having a clear vision and then breaking it down into 90-day chunks. Or even 30 days!

Every period, you meet with your team to review progress, set new goals, and adjust course if needed. It’s like hitting the reset button every quarter to make sure you’re still on track.

While we love EOS for it’s simplicity, in the end it’s an execution framework with very little development of strategy.  We recommend it for smaller businesses who need to get the right disciplines in place.  Once they do, it’s time to graduate into a framework with more strategic elements.

Do You Need a Facilitator or Coach for Planning Sessions?

Short answer: yes. Long answer: absolutely.

A lot of CEOs and COOs feel like they need to be the ones leading the strategic planning process. And while that’s a noble thought, it’s usually a bad idea. Here’s why.

When you’re knee-deep in the day-to-day operations of your business, it’s hard to step back and look at the big picture. You’re too close to the action.

During your planning session, your team needs you to be focused and engaged in the discussion, not spending your time leading and facilitating the process. Each one is a full time role.

It’s like trying to coach a sports team while playing in the game—you can’t do both at the same time.

That’s where a facilitator or coach comes in. They’re not involved in the day-to-day, so they can provide clarity and help you see things from a different perspective. They can guide the process, ask the right questions, and make sure that your team stays on track.

There’s a big difference between a facilitator and a coach.

A facilitator has a playbook that they generally stick to.  Their focus is on that playbook and you running the plays well.

While a great coach is a facilitator, they’re more involved in your success. They lead your planning session, but also provide deeper guidance along the way and are often there to drive accountability throughout the execution of the plan.

Think of it like a sports team. Every great team has a coach. The players are the ones on the field, but the coach is the one calling the plays, keeping everyone focused, and making sure that the team is working together towards the same goal. That’s exactly what a coach does for your business.

Conclusion

Strategic planning and execution doesn’t have to be a stuffy, overwhelming process that leaves you with a binder full of unread pages. It can be agile, focused, and actionable. By adopting methods like Scaling Up or EOS, you can break down your big goals into manageable steps, execute them effectively, and make adjustments along the way.

And if you really want to get the most out of your strategic planning sessions, consider bringing in a facilitator or coach like Incrementa. They’ll help you see the big picture, keep your team on track, and ensure that your strategic plan doesn’t end up gathering dust on a shelf.