Captain Picard and Strategic Plans

The shakespearan like captain of the Enterprise in the television show "Star Trek: The Next Generation" wisely navigated his crew through the adventures of deep space. He wasn't alone of course. There was a diverse crew of humans and aliens and even an android named "Data". To begin each new mission, Captain Picard would order his navigator simply to "Engage".

Strategic plans, of course, are road maps to a final destination for businesses of all sizes. They can be long or short, clear or muddled, but they are critical for the success of any occupation and endeavor.

The point? People can wallow in their strategic plan and never do anything. Even bad plans relentlessly carried out will often lead to success – you just need to engage. The best way to do that is first, decide to act on portions of your strategic plan. From there you need to set a date for the action (the difference between a goal and a dream is a date). Then to truly bring your plan to life you need to go public with it – announce your intent to others, let them know what you're up to and what you've got cookin'. Then you are obligated to engage, and in that intentional act something good will happen.

Engage and Execute