Strategic Planning and Execution

Strategy is one of the written about, discussed, and over-used words in business. Every business leader knows that business strategy determines how the organization moves towards its goals. Most leaders will claim their business has a strategy, but few of them can point to a formal process for creating and revising that strategy to ensure it is successful. And even fewer can say their company successfully executes the strategy they have chosen.

You can identify organizations with poor strategic planning and failed execution by recurring questions that come up during leadership meetings:

  • I thought we discussed this item last meeting – who was responsible for addressing it?
  • Why is that project being delayed again?
  • Are we sure our customers want this?
  • Do we have the right staffing to achieve that goal?
  • Why is our profit down this quarter?

Our Approach

1. Ownership Creates Long-Term Objectives

We meet with owners to establish “big-picture”, multi-year objectives and ensure that the strategic plan will meet those goals. During this meeting we also identify who will be part of the leadership team responsible for creating shorter-term objectives and the plans to accomplish them.

2. Executives Create Strategic Plan with Intermediate Goals

ClearPath meets with leadership team members and owners for a 1-day strategic planning session to create long-term and medium-term goals that will achieve the big-picture objectives of the ownership. These goals are divided into annual and quarterly targets.

Every goal is assigned a single accountable leader who is empowered to set the action plan needed to accomplish their assigned objective by its due date

3. Regular Meeting Cadence to create Accountability to the Plan

To create accountability, ClearPath facilitates monthly, weekly, and (if necessary) daily check-ins of the leadership team. During these meetings, each member is responsible for updating the entire team on the status of their assigned goals.

Longer, quarterly meetings serve as longer check-ins to adapt to changing business conditions, assess whether additional resources are needed and ensure the strategic plan is on track.

Our Process is Designed to Create:

  • Clarity of purpose and a full understanding of the “why” behind strategic objectives

  • Buy-in from everyone

  • Accountability for each goal, with due dates and action plans

  • A formal meeting tempo to verify progress while moving on to the next strategic priority

  • A unified leadership team underneath you, helping to create the plan and then making it happen.

Strategic Plan Timeline

Why Choose ClearPath?

ClearPath Business Advisors believes that business owners should build a healthy, sellable business whether they plan to sell or not.

As former CEOs, CFOs, and other executives, we understand the levers that drive value for businesses, and the obstacles that get in the way of increasing that value. When combined with our significant M&A transactional expertise, we provide an outside investor’s point of view.

Your path to a healthy, sellable business is waiting for you. Let’s walk it together.

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