In 2022, I remember my colleague Megan saying, “I don’t know how businesses and people are successful without a strategic plan.” At the time, I was just beginning to understand the true essence of a strategic plan but hadn’t put one into practice in my daily life. Whenever I talked about Megan and her business, Sutherland & Associates, I’d say, “She does strategic planning!” and people would often respond, “Cool! What is that?”
With great admiration and respect for Sutherland’s founder, Molly Sutherland, and the business’s owner and president, Megan Holley-Slaughter, I jumped at the opportunity when invited to help with one of their projects a couple of years ago. At the time, I had left corporate life just a few months prior. I was acquiring marketing clients while also exploring other ways to use my skills and passion for helping people (especially women) live and work to their fullest potential. So it’s no surprise that after a bit of exposure to Megan’s amazing work, I was hooked and ready to dive in.
Being the wise woman she is, the first part of my training was having me create my own Davonna Inc. strategic plan. Let me tell you, you may think it’s easy, but it’s not. I had no idea what I was getting into. There were tears, moments of validation, mind-stretching exercises, deep reflection, and many emotions. It was a multi-step process that took hours and truly made me dive deep inside my soul and think.
The final product was a beautiful, simple, yet comprehensive Davonna Inc. strategic plan that would reap many benefits for me the following year. It included my purpose, vision, mission, and values, as well as goals and steps to get there. It has kept me focused. When I feel uncertainty or a loss of direction, I refer back to it. When I review it and can cross out KPIs I’ve met, it’s the most exhilarating, accomplished feeling.
Often, when I’m catching up with a friend, especially if it’s been a while, I’ll make a list of everything we need to discuss. I don’t want to forget a single thing. While they laugh at me, it’s also appreciated. Conversations go deep really quickly. We cover it all. At the end of our time together, I know what they need from me, how I can support them, and we’ve both been validated. This is no different from having a strategic plan! To me, there is sheer satisfaction in helping a friend or client get focused, dissecting the current state of their personal or professional life, reflecting and brainstorming together, and having objectives to meet regarding how we support one another in the future.
It’s typical for organizations and businesses that hire Sutherland & Associates to keep us engaged even after we’ve executed the completed framework of a strategic and/or operational plan. Why? For accountability or targeted executive coaching (which, no shock, I also love!). What an honor it is to continue walking in their strategic journeys with them, being a guide to help them reach greatness.
And there’s science to all this, friends. A study by the Association for Talent Development revealed that having an accountability partner can boost your chances of success to an impressive 95%. Additionally, research from the Dominican University of California found that people who wrote down their goals, created action plans, and reported their progress to a friend accomplished 76% of their goals, compared to just 43% of those who merely thought about them. These facts underscore the power of intentional goal-setting and accountability in turning aspirations into reality (and thanks to Boss as a Service for these stats).
So think about it—how are you strategically working toward the next goal, milestone, or whatever it is YOU WANT in your life? Take a moment to reflect. Manifest what you want. Write it down. Or partner with a strategic planner. Trust me, you’ll be so glad you did.
Pictured here with President & Owner of Sutherland & Associates, Megan Holley-Slaughter