Lack of Strategic Vision
The nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise, rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression. -- John Henry Jones
Too few law firms have a strategic vision for their future. Too few lawyers have a strategic vision for their practice, or for their careers. The consequence is that the firm -- or practice -- never achieves its development potential. Like a swimmer who cannot see the shoreline, the practice flounders, seldom moving forward.
Strategic Planning precedes Marketing Planning. (In fact, a Strategic Marketing Plan is designed to achieve the goals of the Strategic Plan.) Strategic Vision precedes Strategic Planning. The Strategic Plan is designed to achieve the goals of the Vision.
In our coaching program, we take clients through a process of self-discovery to help them define and articulate their Vision. One of the first steps is Visualization -- trying to visualize the ideal practice -- in terms of the type of work, the clientele, location, daily routine, revenue, and time demands. There is no single Ideal Practice. Your vision is (thankfully) different from mine. My job is not to help you achieve my Ideal Practice -- but YOURS!
But there is more to developing a Strategic Vision than merely visualizing the ideal. Defining and articulating your Vision is frequently more difficult -- and enlightening -- than you might think ... especially if you are in partnership or association with several colleagues! Here is a list of questions to help you get started:
- Why are we in business?
What is our mission? What are our Driving Forces? (It is given that one reason you are in business is to earn a living. Ask yourselves why you are in this business, why you are in business together, why you are in business HERE.) - What business are we in?
What are we selling? What are our clients buying? (Please don't say peace of mind. Too easy. Think harder.) - Where are we now?
Perform a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) Analysis - Where do we want to be?
Define your goals and objectives.
Perform a GAP Analysis -- Analyze the difference between where you are, and where you want to be -- what are the barriers or challenges you must overcome? - How can we get there?
What tactics must we employ? What are our resources? - How will we define SUCCESS?
Define your benchmarks, then implement systems to track, report and adjust your progress.
Comments