Positive Contributions to Strategic Decisions

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How to Make Positive Contributions to Strategic Decisions

Why Strategic Decisions Are So Important
In many companies, strategic planning has become the most important task of management. There are solid reasons for this high level of respect. Strategic decisions affect both the current and future direction of the overall business. Unlike operating, marketing, or financial decisions, strategic plans affect all aspects of a company’s future.

Strategy meetings encompass all facets of a business, including operations, marketing, accounting, finances, branding, image, and future direction. Strategic decisions directly influence all other actions of a company’s departments. Policies and procedures developed for other departments are driven by the strategic planning decisions.

Since the middle 1970s, when strategic planning really came to the forefront in management decisions, establishing company-wide goals and objectives for the coming one to five years has become an anticipated annual event in many organizations. The results of the strategic planning meeting or weekend generate ripple effects on every company department.

For example, a strategic decision to expand operations in a “brick-and-mortar” fashion, with new physical locations, directly affects human resources (expanded hiring in new geographical areas), finance (capital allocation, investment, and longer-term financial effects), marketing (expanded advertising, new branding efforts), accounting (increases in gross income and operating expenses), and legal (agreements to purchase land, construction costs, lease existing space).

These are just some of the departmental effects for only one strategic decision. There are often up to ten to twelve major decisions made at an annual strategic planning meeting. When asked to participate, employees should adopt some general, overriding behaviors to allow them to make positive contributions and impress their peers and executive management.

Tips to Make Positive Contributions at Strategy Meetings
To develop good ideas and effective contributions at strategy meetings, adopt some or all of the following techniques.

  • Unless everyone at the meeting has an identical bias, attendees may immediately discard your suggestions without meaningful discussion. It matters not whether your bias is positive or negative. Exhibiting any bias often trivializes suggestions, as listeners perceive the bias more than the idea value.

  • Decide in advance what suggestions you might offer and analyze the pros and cons of these ideas BEFORE you put them on the table. This technique allows you to intelligently respond to immediate questions from other attendees.


  • Think about the ramifications and necessary processes of your ideas should they be accepted. Otherwise wonderful ideas can often get sidetracked or discarded after assumptions about the effort, time, money, and risk take a negative turn. Have intelligent data regarding the ramifications and processes required to implement your suggestions.


  • Be sure to have all important supporting information readily available or firmly established in your “quick access” knowledge base. Making a tantalizing suggestion for strategic change and then adopting a “deer in the headlights” persona when supporting evidence is requested is counterproductive at best.


  • Suggest specific ideas that directly target company goals and objectives. An otherwise interesting strategic suggestion that does not directly target company-wide goals will typically place your idea in a suspension condition. Company goals and objectives always hold the most attention for all management, as they should.


  • Along with positive reinforcement, locate and assess negative data or information that contradicts the wisdom of your suggestions. There is no perfect strategic plan. Admit this and get comfortable with this reality. To help give your idea some professional “legs,” find the negative data (fact or opinion) before the meeting to avoid being blindsided by another who is aware of these issues. Doing this before the meeting gives you the opportunity to respond knowingly and effectively.


Much like a company holiday party or summer barbecue, strategic planning meetings have multiple unwritten agendas. While it may be a bit over-dramatic to state that careers can be made or damaged by the quality of your participation, you could strongly reinforce your professional perception and image with your peers and executives by making smart suggestions at stragetic planning meetings.

Like the holiday party, which, of course, is not just for fun and frivolity, strategic planning meetings that publicly stress the brainstorming structure, which many do, require a strong focus and intensity from all participants. To further your career goals, you should be committed to making positive contributions to strategic planning decision making.

Display your preparation, thoughtfulness, dedication, and commitment by making positive suggestions – always showing that you have thought about, researched, and analyzed your ideas BEFORE you arrived to “brainstorm” with your peers or management.