University presidents are under extreme pressure; their role is changing, campus dynamics are changing and competition is changing. Today, they need more than a plan—they need a strategy. But to create a successful strategy, they need to answer three critical questions we’ll explore in this series. Here’s the first:
Are You Running a Business or a Political Campaign?
There are generally two types of strategic plans: one that’s looking for votes of approval and one that’s looking for business results. The former is what I refer to as the “consensus document.” The goal of the consensus document is inclusion leading to mass approval. These plans are either super generic, so they can fit everyone in, or highly detailed, so as not to leave anyone out. In either case, the point is that everyone feels represented in the plan. The challenge with this approach is that these plans tend to be highly operational rather than strategic and therefore fail to address the real strategic challenges the institution faces. Worse, the emphasis on operational initiatives often de-emphasizes strategic initiatives or eliminates them altogether. Many presidents opt for this kind of plan because it offers the path of least resistance and wins them favor, at least in the short term.
The second type of strategic plan is one that focuses on transforming the university. This strategic plan is separate from the operations plan. It has a clearly defined vision for the future and what the university is going to do to achieve it. It is simple, clear and compelling. The strategy behind it can be easily articulated as it is based on a handful of important, transformative initiatives with clear business cases and intended results. These results are ones that will thrill and attract more students and create raving fans for the institution.
If your strategic plan is more about running a political campaign than a business, not only will you eventually lose, so will your students.
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