What is the point of planning?

The other day, I sat down with one of our clients to hear how the year unfolded for him, his team, and his ministry. At the end of last year, he had asked us to help his new leadership team create a shared vision.

I listened with interest and some concern as my friend ticked off the aspects of the plan that had gone sideways in the last nine months. In the end, he wondered, what is the point in planning?

It's not the first time we've been asked this question by harried leaders disappointed that the year hasn't worked out as they had planned. As we approach the end of the year and enter another planning cycle for the upcoming one, most of our clients are taking stock of their plans – and in a world that seems more unpredictable than ever, many of those plans couldn't anticipate everything that was ahead. Some, like my friend, are looking at a plan that seems in shambles.

What typically encounters headwinds is your one-year plan and not necessarily your strategy - or shared vision. The one-year plan was just one way you had chosen to move forward based on the awareness you had at the time you did and the assumptions you had made.

Instead of wondering what the point of planning is, think about the value of engaging in “crafting strategy” as a team. Engaging in crafting strategy affords the team an opportunity to create a shared vision regarding foundational clarifications on matters such as who are we, why do we exist, what is our niche, where are we going, what is our resource engine, how should we look like in three years' time, who will do what, how shall we hold each other to account...

And then, out of that clarity, we decide what bite shall we take this year – the one-year plan. If the bite is not palatable, you may just need to bite at another part of the fruit!

The totality of your shared vision is the true outcome of your "planning" process. And remember, the process is as good as the outcome. It energizes the team and provides direction and alignment.

As Steve Jobs said, "If you are working on something exciting that you really care about, you don't have to be pushed. The vision pulls you."

So, don't skip your annual clarity retreat this year.