Most everyone has read the maxim, “Plan your work and work your plan.” This is simple and effective advice—when it’s followed. Unfortunately, it can also be overwhelming when it comes to ensuring that everyone in the organization knows what the strategic plan is and how they can directly support it. Executives assume that creating strategic plans will automatically transform their organization and people; however, that’s often not the case.

About 11 years ago, I met with “John,” a president of a university. A few hours into our first meeting, beaming with pride, he handed me a beautiful, leather-bound strategic plan. His team, with the help of an outside consultant, had been meeting monthly for nearly a year, and at that point were a mere month or so from completing the plan. I thumbed through it quickly and said, “This is beautiful, John, and very well laid out. Tell me, what do you intend to do with it once it’s complete?”

“I’m not sure,” he replied, with a quizzical look.

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