day 351: Long-Range Planning

A few organizations I am involved with are right now going through long-range strategic planning. The great thing about this kind of planning is that it is an opportunity to think big, think long and think creatively without limitations or putting boundaries around the thinking. After all of the ideas are worked through and consensus is gained on what is important, it is then that the hard work starts. This is when we sign up for the important initiatives and start to work towards how to achieve all of the long-range ideas. Long-range planning also means long-range working. While it is nice to have short-term deliverables so that we can see and feel achievement, much of the best work we can do is the work that is long-range, strategic and may never feel like it is totally done. A friend of mine, when I asked him how he saw his job going he started talking about the next 15 years and what he, or someone else, could do over that time frame. How many of us think in that amount of years when it comes to our jobs and what we can do for our companies? It is hard to think and act in long-term ways. We are so conditioned now for short-term results that we struggle to think about the long-term future in front of us. We should be grateful that our God does not think that way. We read in Philippians that God is with us for the long-run; "And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." If God is willing to work in us for as long as it takes, then we can do the same. We can look to the future and be the ones who are into our work for the long run. Those that can think and work in the long-range are many times those who are thought of as most strategic and those who others know they can count on. If there are areas in your work where you know that you need to think longer and more strategically, today would be a good day to start thinking and doing your own long-range planning.

Reference: Philippians 1:6 (New Living Testament)