One of the most important skills in moving an organization forward is the ability to develop a strategic plan. While this doesn’t come naturally for every leader, it is an area that you can grow and cultivate in your leadership. Speaking from my experience, it has become one of the most valuable assets in my leadership journey.

I’m sure you’ve been setting goals already this year, from personal and professional goals to spiritual and ministerial ones. But without a plan, you can never reach those goals. It’s not the ability to set goals that’s important; it’s the determination to see them through. Developing a strategic plan for each of your important goals will get you over the hump this year.

See the Need

Any strategic plan must begin with vision. That’s the starting point. Strategic planning is all about moving forward toward fulfilling the vision God has placed in your heart. It’s also an opportunity to continue broadcasting the vision. Good leaders will continually reframe the vision as they keep it in front of their people. When you present a strategic plan, you are telling your team and your church, “Here is how this vision plays out today and tomorrow and the next day.”

When you lay out a plan, people want to get on board and help.

Vision is the starting point, but it should be birthed from a need around you. That means you must keep your eyes open to see the need. It also means actively engaging your community to identify the biggest needs, the most urgent needs or the needs that you are able to help with.

Seeing the need is not enough, though. We encounter hurts in need of healing every day. Many of us are moved to do something about them. But what if we allow that feeling or that want to remain a good idea without acting on it? In that case, we haven’t really done anything.

A lot of people have good ideas that never get off the ground. It’s great to have a statement that clearly states your goals, but if you never do anything with it, is it helpful? Vision without action is just dreaming. Going from goal to plan is how you make vision reality. We see the need, we cast the vision, and then we get a plan.

5 Benefits

Over the next few weeks, I’m going walk you through my process of developing a strategic plan. I want to show you how to get your team together, prioritize your actions, write it down and then pitch it to your audience. But first, let me set the stage by outlining the benefits of strategic planning.

Clarity. A strategic plan sets the pace for your vision. It gives clear guardrails for where you need to be going, and the things you need to steer away from. By putting this plan in front of your people, you’re not only making the vision crystal-clear, but you’re also empowering them to move forward with the vision. You can be sure that they will make the right moves individually because they’ve seen your heart and passion, along with the careful steps you intend.

Credibility. This may be the most important benefit of all. I recently spoke with a pastor who was struggling to get his vision out of neutral. I asked him to explain how he communicated that vision. He had really only been talking about it in different settings with no clear agenda. I encouraged him to put the strategic plan into writing first and then share it that way.

That can be a huge step forward. When you show your team and your church a written plan, it puts them on notice that you’re serious. It gives you credibility in their eyes because they see you are seriousness. It also allows them to keep you accountable for the goals you’re setting. If you want credibility with those you lead, show them the plan.

Unity. Strategic planning puts the whole vision into perspective and give everyone a role to play. It says, “Now we all know where we’re going.” When you lack a plan, everyone is free to interpret it however they want. That leads to chaos and a splintered mission. But when you put a strategic plan in front of them, everyone gets on the same boat heading the same direction.

Decision making. Without a strategic plan, you may be left to wonder about the priority of each individual decision. With a plan, though, you will know what to say “yes” to and what to say “no” to. Your decision making is sharpened because you are certain about your next step, how to get there and whether this decision will move you further down the field or off to the sidelines. In effect, you’ve already started making the decisions that are just ahead because you’ve carefully thought them out in advance.

Momentum. A strategic plan gets everyone into the game. And that generates momentum. Your team now has a unifying vision to rally around. They now have goal markers set in place to reach. And they have an outcome they’re all pushing toward. When you lay out that plan, people want to get on board and help you to the end. That’s what momentum does.

Whether your goals are big or small, short-term or long-term strategic planning can help you accomplish them. But they work best when you get everyone on board. Next week, we’ll cover the step-by-step guidelines for putting the plan together. But for now, think through your most important goals from last year. Did you accomplish them? If not, how could a strategic plan have helped you reach them? Now, think about the goals you want to reach this year. I believe a strategic plan can get you to that mountaintop.