Strategies for success.

• Author: Hollein, Marie
• Position: President's page - Financial Executives International

Core purpose. Core ideology. Envisioned Future or Vision. Goals. Measures of Success. Strategies. Key Considerations. Responsibilities. What seemed like mere buzzwords quickly turned into bigger "A-ha" moments for a group of representative members and FEI senior staff during our recent Strategic Planning Retreat.

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This was heady work. We reviewed a lot of data prior to the meeting: Results of membership surveys. Results of interviews with FEI Chapter Presidents. Results of research reports previously commissioned by FEI--some on the strength of the brand; some on professional development; and results of numerous surveys of the planning group themselves.

We responded to questions about the nature of the organization, and FEI's reputation and membership; our voice and influence; and our global position. We peered in every direction; into demographic, social, cultural and consumer trends. We reviewed the legislative, regulatory and legal environment; the economic climate; and the field of business finance. We thought long and hard about scientific and technological advances, and made assumptions in each of these areas as the relevant future environment and possible conditions for the operation of a new strategic plan for the organization.

We brainstormed some very important questions, such as: What is the core purpose of FEI? For what reason does the organization exist?

We quickly realized the importance of having clarity and consensus on the fundamental basis for the organization's existence, so that we could effectively lay the framework to evaluate possible goals, strategies and opportunities.

Open Discussion

We openly discussed the idea of core values, and we identified a set of timeless, guiding principles that shape the culture of FEI. These core values truly have guided the philosophy of the organization over time, and are not just a list of politically correct things to say.

These are the values that will continue to drive the behaviors and actions of FEI leaders and staff.

We spoke about the "Envisioned Future," and asked ourselves what we think is the most important outcome for FEI to accomplish in the next seven to 10 years--barring no obstacles to such success.

We talked about outcomes three years into the future, and what was most important to continue our success, right now.

The Path Forward

The experience was completely...