Marketing: Achieving strategic goals is no easy thing

By Nancy Garberson, president and CEO, Marketing and Communications Strategies Inc.

In today's organizational climate, with customer's expectations high, competition fierce and continuous improvement imperative, not only must planning be done well, but the execution of that plan must be proficiently accomplished.

Yet research shows failure to attain strategic goals is high - in some studies, as high as 90 percent.

This could be because employee engagement is low. But there often are other contributing factors to the breakdown.

The primary challenges include:

•  The failure of organizations to execute strategies

•  The lack of strong leadership

•  Inadequate communication within organizations.

In fact, there are many opportunities for failure. Even when strategy developers break their plans into chunks of actionable items, they rarely work to organize strategic initiatives and ensure needed resources are applied in a prioritized way.

There are several options of performance gauges and measurement tools available that can aid in managing the process. Many include detailed guidance that can help keep an organization - and the champions of the strategies - engaged in the process.

Often, demands of an organization are not considered when strategic actions are needed to be completed. Executing strategies enables the creation of a guiding coalition that clarifies and communicates the purpose.

Long-range intentions must be aligned when day-to-day expectations of the job arise. Strategies must take into account organizational structure and the culture of the entity, and have clear goals and metrics completely aligned with strategy execution.

And engagement of each project requires at least one champion with the passion to see the tactics through to the finish.

But even with the most effective strategic plan, the action items in place and with the best leadership and team, key stakeholders should include ongoing measurement of performance to assure progress is being made toward strategic goals and objectives.

Organizations that use strategic execution effectively eliminate fear, abolish destructive internal competition, have measurable results and promote leaders who understand the work ethic needed to attain goals.

Moreover, leaders must be effective in communicating a vision and teaching new behaviors by example.

This effective communication on behalf of leadership is a key driver for achieving desired results. Knowing how to produce written communications such as proposals, executive summaries and motivational emails is more crucial than ever.

Written and oral communication skills are essential to help leaders customize delivery avenues with persuasive messages to keep strategic goals moving forward.

Leaders need to be able to think on their feet, literally. They must be prepared, with practical tools and confidence, for difficult conversations. Effective communicators create effective action.

Communicating for results means that leaders must apply the knowledge and skills needed to improve communication effectiveness within their organizations and within the execution of strategic initiatives.

Strategic planning does not end with the publication of a plan - its success depends on it purposefully becoming a never-ending process.

The value of strategic planning lies more in the journey, and that planning must produce a product - strategic objectives.

And remember: Calling something a strategic initiative doesn't make it one.

Undeveloped intentions take place in organizations daily. Most strategies seem to stop at the conceptual stage.

Once the project is broken into smaller pieces, individuals actually can work away at the task of completing complex strategies. As everyone knows, ideas are easier to talk about than actually accomplish.  Eliminating mistakes along the way will ensure the right path to a successful outcome.

When effective communication is encouraged, beneficial results have a chance for success.