Tuesday, April 17, 2007

True Strategic Planning is Macro, Not Micro

A community-centered vision gives the business plan something more meaningful to work for than to only benefit the credit union itself. Leading organizations advocate for their communities.

Strategic is a popular word often used to label business planning. Credit union’s do business planning for market share, technology, and growth, for examples. Business planning is necessary and is a micro perspective — what affects an individual credit union.

Micro planning without macro planning is contributing to the fracturing of the credit union movement. While organizational success is the duty of its officers, whose duty is it to preserve a place in society and the economy for credit unions, if not those same officers?

True strategic planning is looking for what’s over the horizon, between the lines, and in the shadows — looking for what is not obvious. Strategic planning is the macro perspective — seeking to preserve the viability of the communities it serves, and the movement. A credit union draws resources and life from its communities; improving its communities is an “enlightened self-interest.”