BASELINE – Simplicity of a Clear Starting Point
This week’s take on BASELINE will challenge your traditions of strategic planning.
Have I intrigued you?
7 Week Strategic Thinking Exercise
If you have been along for the past 3 weeks, you have likely stirred up insights from laying out PURPOSE, CONTEXT, and CHALLENGE. It can be hard work, and also exciting work from serendipitous discoveries and shared inspirations.
Week 4: BASELINE
Over my career working with communities and organizations across the USA and Canada, one thing continues to alarm me in regard to strategy: groups keep doing the same things, measuring the same things. VERY few take stock of their situation and own a way forward that aligns specifically to their own purpose – for unique action they need and want to take for their community, organization, or business.
Veering from the predictable path taken by others, sometimes referred to as best practices, appears to be brave.
Evidence I observe in this being true is measuring every type of indicator because there is a feeling of “should”, even if the indicator is outside of their control.
Why do I call attention to this measurement abyss?
Because BASELINE is not recording every data point. In this exercise it is simply defining a starting point.
领英推荐
Prompt for BASELINE*
Where are we now?
Honestly describe where you are now.
Where are you beginning your strategic journey… on many fronts, including relationships… even your appetite to do what you need to do, acceptance of change.
*Replace “we” with “I” if you are doing this strategic thinking exercise for your personal strategy.
Tips for successful baselining:
Are you (your team) up for the challenge of honestly clarifying your starting point? It’s worth it to be honest.
Strategically yours,
Business Development Advisor Affiliated with California Technology Council
3 年A baseline of what you and your organization "can control" that allows progress on goals is key to outcomes and what you can measure. You often get into political of "who accomplished what or didn't do what should have been done" in attracting or retaining investments and jobs. An example was the public process of attracting Amazon HQ and the efforts of many communities that never had a chance to attract this investment. Politically you had to show an effort and spend staff time and money to chase an investment that doesn't fit your communities strategy based on existing assets. IMHO
California Commercial Growth and Development Professional
3 年This is so true.