Strategic Planning & Your Team: Building Alignment for Growth
Every business needs more than great people and strong craftsmanship to succeed; it needs a plan. A strategic plan is the difference between reacting to every urgent issue that pops up and proactively steering your business toward long-term growth. It aligns your team, sharpens your focus, and sets the pace for progress.
So, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get planning. Let’s look at:
- Why strategic planning matters
- How it changes the game
- What you can do to get it right
When done with the right team, a strategic plan gets everyone on the same page. It provides a clear plan of attack to help you achieve your business goals.
Putting Together a Strong Team
To create a meaningful strategy, it’s essential to have a professional team on board that is:
- Honest, Open, and Transparent (H.O.T)
- Willing to have tough conversations
- Able to set boundaries
- Capable of holding one another accountable
At Decra-Scape, I’ve seen firsthand how this plays out.
Early in my leadership journey, I carried the vision myself, kept information close, and expected results without alignment. The outcome? The business didn’t gain traction as quickly as it could have, because the team wasn’t invested. They were only there for a paycheck.
Today, it’s completely different. We’ve built a culture rooted in trust and clarity, where the leadership team and crews understand the mission, know the goals, and have the desire and capacity to achieve them. That shift in culture has transformed our business results, and it’s no coincidence.
A 3-Part Start to Strategic Planning
Sometimes, the hardest part of strategy is simply getting started. To break through the inertia, I recommend business owners ask themselves 3 key questions:
- How do you keep your business humming like a well-oiled machine?
- What type of planning do you have in place?
- Who is involved in the planning?
When I first started Decra-Scape, I didn’t involve my team in these conversations.
But once I began opening the process, sharing the plan, and making space for accountability, everything changed. Strategic planning stopped being “my plan” and became “our plan.”
And when the team owns the plan, they bring energy and momentum to achieving it.
Getting Your Team On Board
For long-term growth and success, culture is critical. A functional culture is built when:
- The team clearly understands the direction you intend to take the business
- Objectives are transparent and achievable
- Core values are more than just words on a wall; they are lived out daily
Guiding a team toward a shared purpose is a true measure of great leadership. The leader’s role is not just to set the vision but to create an environment where others feel ownership in achieving it.
Leadership & Strategy in Action
A leader who embraces strategic planning serves as both chief visionary and operational driver. You must be strong and fair, goal-oriented and determined to see those goals through. When you commit to this, your team will follow your lead.
And here’s the reality: strategic planning isn’t a “someday” activity; it’s what sets the pace for both today’s work and tomorrow’s growth.
Why This is Top of Mind for Me
Right now, I’m working with many of my consulting clients on their Q4 strategic planning sessions. Together, we’re putting the push on to finish the year strong, checking off the annual goals they’ve set, and at the same time, laying the groundwork for 2026.
Seeing the energy and clarity that comes out of these sessions is a reminder of just how powerful it is when a team rallies around a shared plan.
It’s not just about hitting numbers; it’s about building confidence, alignment, and momentum that carry into the future.
Why Now Matters: Q4 and Beyond
As we enter the final stretch of the year, this is one of the most powerful times to lean into strategic planning.
Not only is it important to finish the year strong by creating a solid Q4 strategy to stay on point with achieving 2025 goals and objectives, but it’s also the time to begin forecasting and budgeting for 2026.
Taking the time now to clarify priorities, set measurable objectives, and align your team helps ensure you close out this year with momentum while laying the foundation for future growth.
Strategic planning isn’t just about today’s challenges; it’s about building the bridge from where you are to where you want to be.
The Call to Action
So, what are you waiting for?
Schedule a strategy session with your team even if the process feels new or uncomfortable. Most likely, you’ll walk away with clearer goals, a list of action items, and a renewed sense of alignment. That momentum is powerful.
And if you’re ready to take it deeper, Rooted Leadership can help facilitate the process, drawing from what’s worked at Decra-Scape and many other companies I’ve worked with.
Finish strong this year. Plan boldly for the next. Build a team culture that thrives on clarity and ownership. That’s the power of strategic planning.
