Welcome Baywalk readers to the December edition of Creating Success Viewpoint on Baywalk.com. Contributing writers from Frank Stevens & Associates will present a perspective on a business issue that will be of interest to all readers; whether entrepreneur, small businessman, or corporate executive. We will be selecting subject matter of seasonal importance to businesses or those that have a "high profile" in the media that month. Be assured that all examples used in our articles are fictional. If as you read through an article you feel we are talking about you; follow our advice: "If the shoe fits, don't wear it." The world is not perfect and neither are you or any of your associates in the business world. Those that attain success do so by being brave enough to face their weaknesses and overcome them. But enough of the rah rah stuff, submitted for your reading pleasure for the holidays and hoped food for thought while your digesting:

"Strategic Planning & Other Fairy Tales."

"Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" Remember your fairy tales? In case you have misplaced those childhood memories, the Queen in Snow White was the compulsive individual always checking with the mirror on her wall about who was the fairest woman of all. Actually, we could all learn something from the Queen. The Queen exemplified attributes of a good CEO-COO. She knew her own thoughts about who was fairest, but she sought feedback to check on her perspective. Further, she was open to receive feedback, and if her perspective was off, she acted in a timely manner to attain and retain her goal of being the "fairest of them all". (Of course I do not endorse her methods of poisoning the competition.)

Ever stop and think that your strategic planning process is more fairy tale than reality? In Snow White at least the mirror on the wall gave realistic feedback: "hey Queen, someone else is fairer than you." When you engage in strategic planning, what do you use for a mirror? The strategic planning process should provide many different viewpoints for consideration and act as a mirror for the company management team to challenge past perspectives. Are you open to challenging your perspective? Is your strategy based on reality or fairy tales & dreams? Developing a strategic plan is important, but creating a plan that is realistic is the key to achieving success.

As a consultant and strategic planner, I believe the "fairy tale perspective" is the most serious trap any company can fall prey to in its business life. Most companies struggle with developing a plan, period. And if they do develop a plan, it too often does not reflect the capabilities of the organization or the business environment, and is either not implemented or implemented so ineffectively that it has little impact on the company's success. Perhaps you recognize your planning process from the three examples listed below:

LETS GET THROUGH IT PROCESS. Characterized by a day or 1/2 day of dull discussions, coffee breaks, and a half hour of serious talk and documentation of company goals.

MORE IS BETTER PROCESS" Characterized by "I am going to kill you with technical jabber, 3 plus days of meetings, and a strategic plan the size of a phone book that no one has ever figured out how to implement.

THE BOOKEND Last but not least, the "we create the best plan ever, but it goes on the book shelf and we never look at it again process."

Imagine all the time, resources, and energy to develop and implement a plan that is unrealistic. Imagine the frustration of doing everything right and still not achieving your goal. Reminds me of how I feel when I get my tools out to work on a project for my daughter where the plans say "time required to complete the assembly, 1 hour. Three hours later, amid great frustration, I am mad at myself and mad that the plan was unrealistic. An unrealistic plan is more frustrating and more expensive to a company than an average plan poorly implemented.

Lets take a quick look at the issues-process utilized by most companies for strategic planning.

• First, most companies do not retain a staff strategic planner who is responsible for developing and implementing the company plan.

• Second, the strategic planning process is usually led by one of the key senior operating officers who utilizes a process that he or she put together based on past strategic planning experiences(usually they are overjoyed getting stuck with the responsibility).

• Third, the person leading the planning process is often the "visionary" of the company or afraid to cross the visionary of the company regarding certain opinions.

• Fourth, although the members of the planning group may have different opinions than those expressed by the visionary, they keep quiet for fear of losing their job or being made out as a fool if they express their opinion.

• Last, the plan that is developed is based on the opinions of a management team whose egos, blood, sweat & tears are intertwined with the hope for success of the company.

Where or who is the mirror on the wall that provides an accurate reflection of the company and the business environment?

Our passion for a goal and our ego make powerful ingredients that can lead companies to great heights of success. They also can make us resistant to hearing the truth. To make sure your company is not living the "fairy tales," take time to develop a process that incorporates leadership that is empowered to "be the mirror". The following describes attributes of a successful planning process:

• The process need not be long, complex, or boring.
• The best strategic plan documents your past success and how it was achieved.
• It reviews the business environment and your competition.
• It identifies your organizational strengths and weaknesses.
• It reviews your stated organizational goals.
• It compares where you have been, who you are today, and where you want to go.
• It seeks reality versus "what we want to believe"
• Goals are based on your capabilities, your competition, and the business environment.
• Lastly, no plan is complete without an implementation plan for the next twelve months.

Time, energy, resources, and capital are too precious to waste on the pursuit of fairy tales.

Invest in your corporate future by pursuing realistic plans. Leave fairy tales to the kids.