The Importance Of Strategic Planning And Operational Planning

A crucial part of leadership requires the setting and achieving of goals. These practices are what make up the vision for organizations. This focal point provides direction, and assists others throughout the organization to be inspired for success. There are two types of planning which encompass the leaders vision for the organization. These methods are known as strategic plans and operational plans. Not only are both necessary for an organization to succeed, but they also must correlate with one another. As a leader, a person must know the differences separating the two types of planning and when to employ each. The S.M.A.R.T. approach, provided by Colorado State University-Global Campus Applying Leadership Principles Module 4 (2015) sets five standard principles for setting and achieving goals.

S pecific – To

Determining Appropriate Usefulness In both strategic and operational planning, leaders need to decipher when and to what level of appropriateness their strategies must be upheld. For instance, setting a short-term goal for a seasonal timeline (like holiday sales marketing) would be more pertinent to operational planning, verses a long-term goal (like annual inventory allocations for yearly sales) to asses future organizational growth. Compliance to this understanding allows for complete competence throughout superior leadership planning.

Conclusion

Great leaders always maintain a sense of vision that is compelling to all others associated with their organization. By applying the S.M.A.R.T. principles correlated with both strategic and operational planning, leaders can be assured their clear and articulate vision to be upheld. Appropriate use of both planning styles, permits assurance that the organization has clear and articulated message being presented through the leader grand