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The First 5 Steps Successful Businesses Take to Create Their Own Destiny

Energize and engage your employees with an inspiring strategic planning process that helps everyone get clear, get organized, get going, and get results. That’s what successful businesses do.

Here are the first 5 steps of the strategic planning process cycle that, done right, tends to amplify and accelerate the success of any organization:

To Get Clear about your unique company culture and strategic direction…

  1. See Where You Ar05-1stPhase Intro-Fig04-P31-Get Clear COI 2015-04-21e – Many leaders are trying to run their organizations with “flat spots” that decrease productivity, produce inefficiencies, and impede growth. A strategic plan is vital for any start-up or seasoned business. It is like a trail map and compass for hiking in the wilderness. But to begin any journey, you first need to know where you are.
  2. Remember Your ‘Big Why?’ – Knowing your core purpose keeps you centered on what’s most important—during good times and challenging times. The purpose of your organization is like the seed of an apple. No one knows the potential yield of your organization and how much can be produced in the lifetime of your company.
  3. Infuse Your Culture – Values are your guide for weathering ethical dilemmas. They become the fabric for weaving good sound decisions. Values should be at the core of all the decisions employees make. They show what your company stands for.
  4. Know Your Business – Clearly defining your mission helps you know what opportunities to say “yes” to and which to say “no” to. Once you have created your mission statement, you will have defined the limits of what you will focus on as an organization. W. Clement Stone said “When you discover your mission, you will feel its demand. It will fill you with enthusiasm and a burning desire to get to work on it.”
  5. Envision Your Future – When you create a clear vision, it expands the collective thinking of your organization to encompass greater possibility and influence. A lofty vision is energizing. It excites everyone involved. It generates hope for the future. Walt Disney said, “If you can dream it, you can do it.”

How well has your organization done with involving your employees in the creation of these first five elements of the strategic planning process?

Much success and fulfillment,

Ray

(Excerpts from Energize Your Business: Engage Your Employees with an Inspiring Strategic Planning Process)

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Strategic Planning Doesn’t Have to Be Painful and Boring?

Facilitating an Inspiring Strategic Planning Process

Facilitating an Inspiring Strategic Planning Process

Planning is vital for the success of your business—no matter how many employees you have. And you don’t have to do it alone. In fact, you shouldn’t. Employee engagement in the strategic planning process is the best way to gain enthusiastic buy-in and support.

Unfortunately, the experience many people have with strategic planning resembles a definition I heard several years ago when I attended a seminar on strategic planning. The speaker characterized the strategic planning process as “a painful, boring, dreaded-but-necessary evil,” while I sat there thinking, “No! It doesn’t have to be that way!” Then he talked about the process being “the sole responsibility of the top leaders in the organization.” Again, I thought, “No, no, no!”

If your experience parallels mine, I invite you to continue reading this blog to discover a much more inspiring and fun approach. Yes, even fun!

A strategic plan done right should inspire its participants and leave a lasting, positive impression. It could even be life-changing.

For example, while I was writing my book, Energize Your Business, I coincidentally bumped into a former client in a restaurant. I spotted Mike and decided to say hello. He was meeting with a partner for a new business venture.

Without skipping a beat, Mike shared with me how important a strategic planning retreat that a colleague and I had presented to his leadership team in 1999 had been for him and his organization. In fact, he opened the notebook on the table in front of him to show me that he still carries with him the purpose, mission, and values we guided his team to create sixteen years ago. What came next blew me away. Completely from memory, and without even glancing down at his notebook, he repeated their heartfelt purpose statement: “to touch those we serve, and transform dreams into reality.” Wow! I’m sure my mouth was hanging open. Then, what Mike said next really hit home: “This has essentially become my purpose in life, too. During our retreat, you brought in the spiritual side of the planning process, which really catapulted it to a higher level than we had ever had before, and we still operate at that same level.”

What if your strategic planning process could be this memorable and durable?

The truth is, planning is vital for the success of your business—no matter how many employees you have. And it has also been my experience that your employees care more about the success of your company—and are smarter—than you think. Every one of your employees has something to contribute to the process, irrespective of what his or her role in the organization may be. Why? Because everyone wants to be a valuable part of something meaningful.

A strategic plan done right will inspire its participants and leave a lasting, positive impression. It may even be life-changing. Done well, the process . . .

  • is an engaging, inspiring and fun opportunity to create collaboration and cooperation among all employees
  • creates alignment from the top of the organization to the frontline—getting everyone moving in the same direction toward the same vision and goals
  • attracts the right and perfect employees and customers, people who resonate with your organization’s culture and aspirations
  • energizes and lifts your organization and everyone in it to the next level of success and fulfillment!

If you are a business owner or leader who already has a strategic plan, is it time to dust it off and refresh it? If you haven’t created one yet, maybe it’s time.

And, if you are thinking of starting a business, creating your strategic plan will establish a solid foundation for enduring success, fulfillment and inspiration.

What has been your experience with strategic planning? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Much success,

Ray
Chief Inspiration Officer, Business Energizers™ a division of TLC

This post is adapted from my book, Energize Your Business: Engage Your Employees with an Inspiring Strategic Planning Process. Click this link to learn more or purchase:

www.EnergizeYourBusiness.biz

Please follow this blog to learn and share valuable tools and tips. And connect with me on my social media channels.

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My Dedication to You…

Business Energizers™ Logo 2015-07-09This blog is dedicated to all the passionate business owners and leaders who have the courage to take a leap of faith to act on their dreams.

On this page, I will share proven, practical tools and tips accumulated over my 25 years of experience facilitating groups, developing training and workshops, and providing leadership coaching.  I will begin by drawing from my new book, Energize Your Business: Engage Your Employees with an Inspiring Strategic Planning Process. Click here to learn more www.EnergizeYourBusiness.biz.

Together we will explore what truly energizes organizations. Please feel open to share your own personal experiences.

I invite you to follow this blog by clicking on the link below and accessing it with your email so that we can stay connected and you can stay informed.

Also, please follow me on my social media channels so that we can deepen our connection and you can share these posts with your friends and associates.

Much prosperity and success,

Ray Madaghiele

Chief Inspiration Officer

Business Energizers™, a division of Transformational Learning Center

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If You Fail to Plan, You’re Planning to Fail

Energize Your Business cover

Do you own a business, are you thinking of starting a business, or are you a leader in an organization? If so, I bet you know how vital creating a strategic plan is to the success of your business. I hope you also understand how important employee engagement is for achieving enthusiastic buy-in and support of the plan.

That is the very reason I have invested the past 9 months documenting my secrets, tools and tips in my new book, Energize Your Business: Engage Your Employees with an Inspiring Strategic Planning Process. I am happy to share with you my 25 years experience of facilitating strategic planning and employee engagement processes.

My bouncing baby book is finally in the birth canal! Today I approved the book and it will be released on November 9, 2015, in both print and eBook forms. I am excited to share this valuable information, so stay tuned.

You can learn more, and even take advantage of my current eBook pre-release special by clicking this link https://www.EnergizeYourBusiness.biz.

Much success,

Ray
Ray Madaghiele, Chief Inspiration Officer
Business Energizers™ a division of Transformational Learning Center

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Welcome to Business Energizers™!

Welcome to Ray’s “BUSINESS ENERGIZERS” Blog!

You’ll receive tips, secrets, industry trends, resources, guidelines, and host of other valuable information to help you energize your business, engage your employees, and be more successful!  You’ll also get a chance to share your ideas, too.

Stay tuned . . .

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