Develop customized strategies that align with their vision, capitalize on opportunities, and navigate challenges, driving long-term success and competitive advantage.

Strategic planning requires time and investment from your senior board and staff leadership. And those hours translate to dollars. Your most highly paid staff members will inevitably spend time on the mechanics of your planning process rather than focusing on the substance of your organization’s strategy. When your CEO is spending time planning agendas or developing stakeholder questions, there are massive opportunity costs

is a great antidote to groupthink in both nonprofit and for-profit organizations. But only if you bring in an outside facilitator. Otherwise, power dynamics may compromise your strategy process. Even senior staff members who aren’t the CEO may be less inclined to share fresh and potentially unpopular (with the CEO) input. A skilled consultant can ensure that everyone participates equally. Your facilitator creates spaces where tough feedback is welcomed rather than shut down.

Strategic planning requires building consensus. This can be hard if your board, staff, and other stakeholders have wildly different ideas about the direction of your organization. If you can’t move your planning group toward consensus, you risk never completing the planning process. Or, if you decide to railroad a plan through, your team won’t benefit from the buy-in that results from creating a shared vision.

Unless you’ve worked with and liked a particular strategic planning consulting firm, you’re going to need to create a strategic planning RFP or request for proposals. Ideally, you’ll want to interview and compare proposals from at least two to three strategic planning consults.