Strategic Planning

Align as a team, envision the future

Today’s workplace is busy – chock full of day-to-day tasks and responsibilities, especially for leaders. Unless you create the time and space, there’s scarce opportunity to think at a higher level and establish your long-term vision.

Strategic planning gets you and your leadership team in a room together to answer three major questions:

Who are we as an organization?
What should we focus on for the next two years?
When things change, how will we make decisions as a team?

The steps in a typical process include:

Creating or revising your mission, vision, and values. They create the foundation of your organization and serve as key decision-making tools.
Brainstorming possibilities for the next two years.
Agreeing on key themes of focus.
Developing strategies or activities to support each theme.

Depending on your situation, your process may also include:

An “environmental scan” at the start of the process, so that a range of internal and external perspectives can inform your planning.
The introduction of communication concepts that facilitate productive conversations.

Sound good? Let’s talk.

Contact me

Testimonials

I hired you when I seemingly had too much on my plate, affecting my work as an architect and my life. “To Do” goals remained untouched:

Displaying models of clients' architecture projects. (They sat in disarray around my desk.)
Creating an easy-access library of material samples. (Tile, fabric, and paint chips, etc., needed to be culled through and reorganized.)
Actually going to yoga a second time per week. (When I turned 50, I made it a goal to do yoga twice a week; two years later, still only once a week!)

Your strategies, personal stories, and gentle accountability gave me the push I needed.
Yes, I completed all of those undone things!
And I think of you every time I effortlessly find the paint sample I need.

- Angie Lipski, MMW Architects

"I love working with Janna. She is flexible, prepared, and pivots well to changing needs and circumstances of the group. She is warm and engaging, and helps us tackle hard things in a constructive way."

- Cynthia L. Wolken, Deputy Director

Janna was very helpful in communicating what she needed to facilitate the group before the session. Her professionalism during the meeting and time together was critical. She stayed on point and was friendly but also remained respectful and professional.

— Natalia Bowser - Director, Montana Board of Crime Control

Janna’s humanness & coaching before the event ensuring everything that needed to be included and everything else that was not required was excluded, was so valuable.

— Meghan Ballenger, Raise Montana

Having hosted a number of networking luncheons, it was really great to have a program that provided value to the members. The luncheon presentation provided valuable take-aways for the attendees.

— Chelsee Kucera, Missoula Downtown Association

Working with Janna sharpened my professional confidence and identity as a CEO. Going in, I had a ton of ideas – arrows heading in different directions. I now have clarity about where I’m headed and how I’m going to get there.

- Maaliea Wilbur, TherapyWorks

I used to struggle to think like an executive director. My default was to jump in and be helpful, no matter what issue came up. Janna helped me reframe my use of my time at work. I now find it easier to focus on my responsibilities while appreciating the capable team members around me.

— Amy Allison Thompson, The Poverello Center

I hired Janna because I was confused about how to navigate a complex situation at work, during a phase of fast-paced growth and leadership turnover. Together, we developed a plan on where to focus and, more importantly, where to let go. After working with her, I have clarity on my priorities. I’m able to remind myself of my “big picture.”

— Senior Manager, VC-funded Healthcare Start-Up

Getting started with Janna, I had hoped to increase my effectiveness in dealing with difficult situations with my staff. Now, I’m more confident in being able to coach my team members. I plan to use the techniques we talked about to deal with issues - and to address them immediately rather than let them get backed up. I look forward to continuing with this positive pattern.

— Cheri McCarthy, Department Director, The University of Montana Western

Because of Janna’s excellent facilitation, the three entities have energy to collaborate more. We have action items for right away and a parking lot full of future things to address. She set the perfect tone for discussion and helped us achieve exactly what we needed.

— Norma Nickerson, Director, University of Montana Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research