Stand up in the front of any room and say “strategic planning” and watch what happens. The hair of most people will stand straight up and their eyes will widen at the mere mention of the term. Either because they hate it, or they fear it – and sometimes both.

Some think strategic planning is a waste of time since, once it’s completed, it’ll just be stuck on a shelf somewhere until same time, next year. (In today’s world, if that’s the case, there may not be a “next year” planning session.)

Trouble is, if you can’t clearly explain where you’re headed, and some basics on how you’ll get there and means of measurement to know when you do get there… well, it's very hard to get everyone in your company rowing in the same direction. And, it’s even more difficult to demonstrate your “green value” to those who purchase goods or services from you.

Having a strategic plan has long been a cornerstone for highly successful companies. Now it has become a requirement for any company to even survive – especially long term. We’ve compiled a number of tools to help you accomplish this task – from articles and worksheets all the way up to the Focused Growth workbook.

Remember, in some ways it’s not so much the plan as it is the planning… and, in today’s world, it’s a necessity.