Ch. 13: Strategic Vision Vs. Strategic Action

Strategic planning is the core of every business. Strategic planning is the process of establishing the direction and documenting the plan for the organization (Vo, 2020). I recently completed a class in Entrepreneurship where I completed a business plan for my Puzzle Collaborative venture. It ended up being over 100 pages by the time I was done. I took the task seriously because I needed all areas lined out to give the business its best possible chance for success. A business plan is a version of a strategic plan put in place to give the organization a sense or direction and outline measurable goals and objectives.

Strategic leadership, as defined in the text, is the ability to anticipate and envision the future, maintain flexibility, think strategically, and work with others to initiate changes that will create a competitive advantage for the organization in the future (Daft, 2018). The four domains of strategic leadership include: Vision, Mission, Strategy, and Mechanisms for execution. I created and described each of these in my business plan. All are important for the success of an organization.

For the purpose of this blog I will focus on strategic vision and strategic action and the need for each of these to be an effective leader. I will also discuss which of these I feel I am better at doing. 

According to the text, the strategic vision describes where the organization is headed and is seen as an ambitious view of the future that can realistically be achieved and is better than what it currently is (Daft, 2018). While the vision begins with the here and now, it defines the ultimate destination for the organization. It provides the leader and followers with a sense of meaning and purpose for the organization. Visionary leaders help the followers by bringing out the best in them and helping them see something bigger than themselves and helping to connect and clarify the core values and ideals of the organization setting the standard for integrity (Daft, 2018). The strategy to create the vision is not an easy one and often requires input from others. Feedback can be a useful resource for creating an effective vision. The vision is generally created alongside the mission, which defines the who of the organization, or the whole purpose and reason for the organization's existence (Daft, 2018). It works hand in hand with the vision. 

The strategic action is simply the plan for how to get there, and the completion of the steps in order to bring the vision into reality. This is the strategy and mechanisms for the execution portion of the strategic planning. The strategy being the actual plan of action and decisions behind them. In my business plan this required completing market research and creating a competitor analysis, both of which were very tedious and time consuming. The mechanism for execution is the basic architecture for getting everything done and the implementation of all plans thus far (Daft, 2018). 

The strategic action is the toughest part for me. I am visionary by nature. I have had ideas of inventions and businesses ever since I was a child. Sadly, most these never came to fruition. When creating the Vision and Mission of my two businesses, I found that while they were challenging, they were nothing compared to the difficulties of putting them into action. Part of that has to do with life and bumps in the road getting in the way and with those affecting motivation and creating more need for hard work. 

However, you can be a real workhorse and doer, but life has a way of throwing you curve balls. This situation with COVID-19 is a perfect example. I literally completed my business plan in late February. The business started in December, but my official launch of services was to be in March. Then the coronavirus spread and all my marketing events were canceled. Additionally, all of my group offerings, trainings, and seminars were  postponed. My other services were not all suitable for telehealth, so clients would not be interested at this time. So, my plans had to be put on hold. My strategic leadership is definitely being challenged during this time. Luckily, however, I am bootstrapping this venture with my other business and my private practice continues to do well and I can rely on it for the time being. The other venture will have to be put on the back burner until things can open and new plans can be put to action. At that time I will have to refocus and refuel my motivation, because that is when the hard work will have to begin. 

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