Some people view planning as a boring or tedious process but at The Reid Group we believe that effective planning is vital for both leaders and organizations, and can be a creative and positive experience.

Organizational planning helps establish a preferred or favored direction for an organization in the face of many possible and probable directions. The proper end of a planning process is the state where clarity exists around answers to some key questions:

• What are we about?
• Where are we heading?
• Why are we doing what we are doing?
• How will we achieve our goals?
• Who will be involved?
• When will all the work take place?

The Reid Group approach to organizational planning has four major elements:

• Directional Planning (Mission, Value and Vision Statements)
• Strategic Planning (Goals and Priorities and Issues)
• Operational Planning (Objectives and Action Steps)
• Administrative Planning (Monitoring and Evaluating

In this article, we will focus on the three components of Directional Planning:

Mission statement
Why does the organization exist? What is its identity and purpose? What makes it unique or distinctive? A mission statement should be 30 words or less, memorizable by a 12-year-old (no jargon), and able to be recited from memory.

A mission statement can be drafted using this formula:

3 action verbs + core values + tribe (the people you serve)

For example: The Reid Group helps leaders and organizations transform challenges into opportunities to create a better world. Our creative, comprehensive and excellent services build teams, promote honest communication, and strengthen collaboration.
?
Value statements
Values are important for a planning process because they provide guiding principles of conduct and name what an organization is willing to stand up for. These statements reflect the core values or key beliefs of the organization. They are often implicit within organizations, but are most helpful when made explicit. Values also help measure the correctness of a given plan. Will living out these values help us live out our mission and live into our vision?

One way to develop a set of value statements is to gather 10-15 people and start by asking them to brainstorm ten to twelve values the organization expresses in its internal and external work. These values can then be prioritized to a final list of six to eight organizational values. The top two or three value statements may be so important they could actually be incorporated into the organization’s new mission statement.

Vision statement
What will the organization look like once its mission is fully realized? A vision statement is longer than a mission statement (100-200 words or more), usually more poetic, and written in the present tense as if the vision has been accomplished.

These statements are most useful when they are the product of the collective wisdom of a group of people, rather than just a few individuals.

To create a vision statement, imagine it is five years from now and reflect on the life of the organization in that period. Begin your statement with “The last five years have been great because…” Identify at least four “becauses.” These “because” statements then become the foundation for a new organizational vision statement.

Far from being a boring exercise, a good planning process will build on the current strengths of the organization, clarify where it is going as it moves forward into the future and help all to speak confidently with one voice about their mission, values and vision. 

John Reid, Senior Consultant
The Reid Group