Strategic planning helps us determine if we are doing the right thing, not just doing things right. This was drilled into me while working in a large corporation, and the concept is even more important now that I’m self-employed.
Strategic planning can be viewed as betting on the future. Or put another way, what is likely to happen and will you be ready for opportunities and threats? I frame my views of the future annually from a variety of sources including white paper surveys, trend reports, emerging issue topics listed in professional development courses and sometimes just gut instincts.