A key element in any strategic plan is understanding the market—in particular, the customers. Knowing what those people and organizations want is critical to planning for services, systems, and staffing. With changing technology, customer feedback has become more real-time. It can be the automated text to the consumer after delivering a service that asks about…

There are so many questions to answer during the development of your strategic plan. A big one is: what do your key stakeholders want? You must understand what your customers—consumers, referral sources, payers, and other funders—think and want, and how to conduct qualitative research to find the answers to your questions and guide your strategy…

Board directors bear great responsibility. They are responsible for defining your organizational mission and objectives, measuring your successes, and providing oversight (financial and otherwise) of your operations. Because of that, they must play a more active role in organizational strategic planning than ever. To do this effectively, they need to know exactly what their roles…

A few months ago, my colleague Monica Oss wrote about the importance of “prospection” in leadership—the notion of executive foresight and anticipation. It is the act of looking forward and providing for future wants when mapping out sustainability and strategy. It is the ability to envision the future possibilities of the organization while preparing for…