• Why You Need a Plan?: Developing strategy takes time and resources. It requires the time and commitment of some of the most highly paid and highly experienced people in your organization.

• To set direction and priorities: First and foremost, you need a strategy because it sets the direction and establishes priorities for your organization. It defines your organization’s view of success and prioritizes the activities that will make this view your reality

• To get everyone on the same page: If you find that you have departments working to achieve different aims, or going in different directions, you need a strategy.

• To simplify decision-making: If your leadership team has trouble saying no to new ideas or potential initiatives, you need a strategy

• To drive alignment: Many organizations have hard-working people putting their best efforts into areas that have little to no effect on strategic success.

• To communicate the message: Many leaders walk around with a virtual strategy locked in their heads—they know where their organization needs to be and the key activities that will get it there.

• Recognize you need to plan: you now have the role of becoming the catalyst: for facilitating the buy-in and commitment of your leadership team and the rest of your organization

• Why do you need a strategy?: I’ve found that very few executives truly understand how to maximize their role in facilitating strategy. This chapter is focused on you, the leader of the organization, and on the vital role you play in facilitating strategy throughout your organization