Can Strategic Planning be Fun?

It’s that time of year again for strategic planning, but why do so many people dread it?

Let’s be honest: for many, the strategic planning process feels outdated, drawn-out, and, frankly, a bit boring. It’s often filled with endless meetings and ends with documents that gather dust the moment they’re finished.

But here’s the thing — strategy doesn’t have to be this way.

Over the past few years, strategic planning has shifted in commercial and nonprofit sectors. The pandemic and the recent economic uncertainty have forced organizations to become more cautious. These days, innovation that focuses on the year ahead is more valuable than pie-in-the-sky thinking because uncertainty requires flexibility and agility.

This is why I’ve reimagined the process to make it faster, more interactive, and, maybe even… fun.  How? By focusing on:

**Shorter timelines** – because your time is valuable.
**Engaging workshops** – interactive sessions that spark creativity and enthusiasm.
**Inclusivity** – bringing in perspectives from all levels of the organization to build a plan everyone feels invested in.
**Simple, actionable documents** – focusing on tangible, implementable goals and outcomes, not just another plan to shelve.
**Implementable innovation**  –fostering future-thinking with an incremental roadmap.
**Built-in adaptability** – ensuring the strategy can pivot as the market and your business evolve.

Strategic planning should be a process that excites and empowers, not one that drains energy. If your team dreads strategic planning, let’s talk about how we can flip that script together!