Strategic Planning2026-10-07T13:51:15+00:00

Strategic Planning

Research. Develop Strategy. implement.

We use a flexible framework to develop and customize the right strategic planning process for your needs.

The final process may not contain all of these elements, may contain additional steps, or may emphasize certain steps as needed.

I. Research

This initial phase focuses on preparation, information sharing, and data gathering.
The partnership relies on open communication and will include formal meetings and informal forms of communication.
This initial phase involves preparation and data gathering:

1. Customize:

We will partner with your designated point person/team for an initial overview of desired outcomes from this process. Based on those initial results, we will finalize a customized planning process and schedule that fits your budget.

2. Pre-Reading:

We provide pre-work, articles, or briefings to introduce relevant concepts and accelerate the process. These will be distributed to the planning participants to introduce relevant concepts and provide talking points for initial discussions. accelerate the process. Pre-reading articles and pre-work will be part of planning discussions.

3. Data Gathering:

We customize this step based on your needs, internal partner support, and the project timeline. All-employee surveys, small group interviews or similar types of individual feedback sessions are the core of how we gather data. We also use past surveys and other primary data sources to get a full picture of your company, your current direction, and identify gaps that may hinder growth in the future. 

II. Develop Strategy

This core phase is comprised of up to three major steps, with sessions one month to six weeks apart. Because each strategic plan is completely customized, some elements listed may not be applicable. Your plan may also include additional steps not listed here based on your needs. At Stoke Leadership, we feel like these sessions are most successful when they are in person, and will schedule them every month to six weeks based on your overall timeline.

Additional work like focus groups and interviews will may be required between meetings. Those results will be used in the development process.

1. Identify Long-Term Vision:

An in-person session to identify long-term business objectives for your next five-year horizon. The goal is to create a Balanced Scorecard strategic plan that validates your Business Model by the end of the session. Typically, this is a structured one-day workshop that includes all key decision makers for your organization.  Session outcomes include a prioritized list of company business objectives.

2. Determine Growth Strategies & Dead-Ends:

This in-person session focuses on reviewing client and industry trends. The team will prioritize growth opportunities to align with the draft business model. The guided discussion should lead to an agreed upon long-term company direction and a draft of your corporate growth strategy. For consistency, this should include your same key decision makers.

3. Create the Change Agenda (Internal):

This final in-person workshop with the company key leadership team focuses on identifying internal barriers and strengths to create a strategy map. The map will then be translated into corporate-level strategic initiatives that will be used to draft the “change agenda” that will be used for the Implementation phase.

III. Implementation

This final phase focuses on execution at all levels of the company.

1. Launch Planning:

This important step can be in-person or via a series of conference calls. Your next layer of leaders—those who will be most impacted by the changes that are coming, will be a part of this step. We provide background information on the upcoming changes, and help plan actions for Roll Out & Engagement, Initiative Management, and Reporting & Updating (which may include creating a measures “scorecard”). Finalized timelines and formal check-ins are part of this step.

2. Follow Up Support:

Usually, an on-site visit with the leadership team, initiative team champions, and/or initiative teams about six months to one year after strategy rollout to keep the leadership team accountable for implementation. Can include fresh data analysis or any other in-depth evaluation that you desire.

Strategic Planning FAQ:

Below are answers to common questions about our Strategic Planning services.
What is strategic planning, and why does my organization need it?2026-10-06T22:29:00+00:00

Strategic planning is how leaders set a vision for the future and a clear path to get there. It means making real choices: where to invest, what to stop doing, and how to set your organization apart. Without a plan, teams often stay busy but drift apart. With a plan, everyone knows where you’re going and why it matters.

Who should be involved in the planning process?2026-10-06T22:29:53+00:00

Usually your senior leaders, and often your Board. The strongest plans also draw on voices beyond the leadership table, such as members, clients, stakeholders and emerging leaders. Including them brings in fresh perspectives and builds buy-in early, which makes the plan easier to put into action.

How do you make sure the plan doesn’t just sit on a shelf?2026-10-06T22:30:56+00:00

This is where we stand apart. Our method focuses on “change that sticks.” We build change enablement and implementation support into the process, give leaders practical tools, and run high-energy sessions that move teams to act. We help turn the plan into goals and habits your team can own. Plus we can help you set internal checkpoints to let your teams check in on how the changes are sticking.

Why partner with Stoke Leadership for strategic planning?2026-10-06T22:31:42+00:00

We combine 300,000+ hours of Fortune 500 experience with the flexibility to tailor every engagement to you. Our co-founders are certified executive coaches and master facilitators. They have guided CEOs, executive teams and Boards in engineering, healthcare, non-profit, technology, professional services and more. We listen closely, work alongside you, and keep the focus on results. And we make the process engaging, because a plan people are excited about is a plan they’ll carry out.

How long does it take to create a Strategic Plan?2026-10-06T22:32:26+00:00

We work with companies to build a process over six to nine months to create your Strategic Plan.  There are several activities like workshops, focus groups, client interviews, planning sessions, and leader coaching that are spread across 6-9 months to allow for idea generation, communication with internal team members, and additional scenario planning.

Go to Top