Before the Plan: The Case for Strategic Readiness

Before launching a full strategic planning process, pause. Take a breath. Ask: Are we even ready to plan?

I’ve led strategic planning processes that were on paper perfect—timelines, stakeholder meetings, beautiful mission statements—and still felt hollow in the end. Why? Because the team wasn’t ready, the culture wasn’t ready, and the conversation hadn’t caught up to the ambition.

Strategic readiness isn’t about logistics. It’s about collective alignment and emotional capacity. Are people energized—or just exhausted? Is there space to vision—or are folks scrambling to survive?

Some of the best planning outcomes I’ve seen started with pre-work: short culture check-ins, visioning conversations, quiet journaling prompts. These tools may seem small, but they unlock valuable truths.

Reflection Prompt: What’s one thing your team needs to process or pause before it can plan?