The strategic plan – as important as it is – is not magical in and of itself. Having one does not guarantee success.

So why do some plans soar and others fail? There are a few reasons but one is top of mind at the moment. The creation process.

Strategic plans are powerful when they are co-created with your team. When the process is done well:

Your team will evolve. Having the opportunity to analyse, debate and synthesise all sorts of information will fundamentally change their understanding of the situation and the mission ahead. Don’t shortcut this by distilling information too much.

Your plan will evolve. Harnessing the skills, abilities, experience and perspectives of a diverse group of people will deliver a plan that’s better than the one you envisioned. Don’t miss out on their insights by underestimating the time required for discussion.

Your culture will evolve. Enabling your people to see their fingerprints on the plan will skyrocket their collective ownership so that, together, the team proactively overcomes hurdles and ultimately achieves its goals. Don’t unintentionally create “order-takers” by presenting a plan that’s half done.

I know many leaders feel pressured to write the strategic plan themselves. Some think it’s their job. Some are told it is. The occasional one thinks they’ll do it best. But most feel that they’re under pressure to deliver – so there’s no time to co-create. To those ones I’d say…

“Would you rather go fast or go far?”

If you’ve read this far, I’d be interested to know – have you seen co-creation done well? What was it that made the process a success?