Make Your Strategic Plan Work

Hi Inner Circle Member:

We are finally approaching the weekend, and it is going to be a busy one. I am meeting with an old friend from Saskatoon that I roomed with when we completed our M.A. at San Diego State University. On Saturday my daughter is performing with her ensemble, and then on Sunday my wife and I have the pleasure of hearing our children sing with their Choir group at the beautiful Chan Center at the University of BC. Whew!

To top it off I have to squeeze in time to cut the lawn at my house, our cottage, and my in laws who are in England watching an air show (he is a retired pilot and a life long plane fanatic). We are even hoping to find time on Saturday night to go see the movie Son of Rambow. It is set on a long English summer in the early 80's, and is a comedy about friendship, faith, and the weird business of growing up. It looks very funny and one of the few non-digital movies you can go see with your family. I will let you know about it if we see it. I have a great photo of it on my blog.

Today in my eNewsletter I am going to take another excerpt from my Strategic Planning Toolkit (available at my Online Store) and finish up from my last newsletter on how to effectively implement a strategic plan for your school or non profit. From my research and experience this is the single most important step in planning, but also the area where it falls through. Many organizations are quite content to develop the plan and then just put it on the shelf to collect dust. They assume that the energy they put into the developing the plan will some how magically get it implemented. Wrong. Read on to find out more.

Enjoy the eNewsletter,

Doug Halladay
President and Founder
Halladay Education Group Inc.

www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

===============================

In This Issue

================================

1. In The News

2. Services Your School Needs

3. Make Your Strategic Plan A Reality

4. Products To Invest In To Start And Lead Your School

==================================

1. In The News

==================================

Cell Phones in Schools: Out of Control

The Huntsville Times - al.com - Huntsville, AL, USA

Parents may want them, but they're causing headaches. School officials across Alabama report increasing incidents and problems with the use of cell phones. During the summer of 2006 the State Board of Education dropped the state's ban on the possession of cell phones leaving that decision to local school boards.

Chicago Considers Boarding Schools for Public Students

Chicago Tribune - United States

AP THE PITCH: Chicago Public Schools is looking for potential partners to help develop boarding schools for children who are homeless or from chaotic homes.

Retired Alderman D'Amato to Lead Boarding School Effort

Bizjournals.com - Charlotte, NC, USA

Mike D'Amato, a former alderman for the city of Milwaukee, will lead the local efforts to open a public boarding school for urban children as the new...

==================================

2. Services Your School Needs

==================================

>>> (A) STARTING YOUR OWN SCHOOL

Starting a school can be very challenging and you never have a 2nd chance to make a first impression. This is why you need a firm that has experience starting schools in USA and Canada. Our services include:

1. One-Day Comprehensive Overview Session and Report

2. Formal Feasibility Study

3. Detailed Business Plan Development

4. Full Turn-Key School Formation Services From Start To Finish

6. Ongoing Consulting Services and Retainer

7. Ongoing Management and Operations Services

If you would like more information about my services and range of fees related to help start your school, please call me at 1-604-868-0002, email me at info@halladayeducationgroup.com, or click on the following link to download my brochure outlining services and fees:

http://www.halladayeducationgroup.com/File/Overview_School_Formation_Fees_Services.pdf

>>> (B) STRATEGIC PLANNING

Do you want a plan to improve your school? Then you need a Strategic Plan. I can develop a comprehensive Plan that will build consensus, motivate donors, and define critical priorities and strategies for your Board and Administration to improve your school.

Click on the following link to download my brochure on our Strategic Planning process, or call me at 1-604-868-0002, or email me at info@halladayeducationgroup.com Click on the following link to download my firm’s brochure outlining Strategic Planning services:

http://www.halladayeducationgroup.com/File/heg_strategic_planning_services-1.pdf

>>> (C) BOARD GOVERNANCE WORKSHOPS

Do you want your school or non-profit to have better leadership? If so, my full-day governance workshop and online survey helps your trustees to fine-tune their performance and refocus their mandate. Please email me at info@halladayeducationgroup.com or call us at 604-868-0002 to find out more about how we can help you. Click on the following link to download my brochure

http://www.halladayeducationgroup.com/File/Board%20Governance%20Workshop%20%26%20Fax%20Back%20Form.pdf

==================================

3. Make Your Strategic Plan A Reality

==================================

The following is an excerpt from my Strategic Planning Toolkit, which you purchase at my web site’s Online Store.

Harvey Mackay said it well, "A goal is just a dream with a deadline." And that goal will remain a dream unless you create and execute a plan of action to accomplish it. Every goal that gets accomplished has a plan behind it.

Strategic planning for schools is always a difficult matter. Board members, administrators, parents, teachers, students, and alumni all have their own agenda of objectives (or secret agenda). But without planning, there is no reliable way to make sure that the school carries out its mission.

I maintain that plans are not forecasts or predictions of what will be or should be. They are agendas for action. The plan will be incomplete until it calls for specific persons to begin doing specific things, with specific timetables. The school leader is the specific person who will initiate the implementation of the objectives of the strategic plan. The plans are of no value if they are not put into action.

You need to remember that strategic planning is more than an event, it’s a process too. Once you’ve developed the plan, your work is just beginning. Implementation is where you will spend the bulk of your time and resources. Make sure you take implementation seriously. Integrate your plan into the day-to-day operation of your organization, the yearly agenda for the board, the charge for their committees; even the Head of School’s and Board’s yearly goals for evaluation.

This step of your plan is divided into three parts:

1. Implementation
2. Monitor and evaluate; and
3. Revise.
   

You will collect progress reports on the action plan and evaluate according to the school’s ability to meet the goals. This progress is measured in context to efficiency, effectiveness, unanticipated consequences, political viability, moral acceptability, and implementability. If the strategic and operational plans are not aligned with the objectives, then revisions must be made to the action plan to ensure the completion of the goals. The goals and objectives must compare with the results, if they don’t, revisions must be made.

Strategic planners must remember that there is more than one way to arrive at the destination. Planning teams must be flexible in context to the target – the plan is a guide, not a concrete monolith. It can be revised when needed. These revisions are necessary to accommodate the occurrence of unplanned events within the organization and community. The key is to stay aligned to the target. The planning team has each of the sub-committees monitor their action for progress towards their delegated tasks.

I can facilitate the development of your strategic plan from start to finish, with the development of your SWOTs, goals, objectives, action plans, and finished document. Email me at info@halladayeducationgroup.com if you would like to make preparations to develop your strategic plan for the coming school year.

If you would like to comment on this eNewsletter story please click on the following link and add your comments on my blog.

================================

4. Products To Invest In To Start And Lead Your School

================================

Do you want effective tools to help start and manage your school? These 2 products will make a difference.

>> (A). STRATEGIC PLANNING TOOLKIT (#1 BEST SELLER)

Learn How To Develop Your Own Strategic Plan Like An Expert With This Easy To Follow, Step-By-Step, All-In-One Strategic Planning Toolkit and Manual. Get all the details here:

http://www.halladayeducationgroup.com/products/stratgic_planning_toolkit.php

>> (B). WEBINAR SERIES – DISCOVER FROM EXPERTS HOW TO START A SCHOOL (#2 BEST SELLER)

Are you still struggling with starting your School, College, University, or Institute? You are not alone. I share with you how to start a school from the words of those who have been in the trenches and understand how to put a school together efficiently and cost effectively. These include:

1. Independent School Formation: The Critical First Steps

2. 9 Secrets To Starting A US Charter School

3. 8 Golden Rules of Starting a Junior School

4. Starting a Successful Private Senior School from the Ground Up

5. 10 Steps To A Winning Strategic Plan

6. The Whole Enchilada - All 5 Webinars at 40% Off

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

To your success,

Douglas Halladay
President and Founder
Halladay Education Group Inc.

www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

P.S. Do not forget to check out our secure Online Store for ways to invest in improving or starting your own school or non-profit. Here is the link:

=======================================================

Copyright © 2007 Halladay Education Group Inc – All Rights Reserved