The expansive, data-from-here-to-the-horizon web site that is the American Planning Association has a great piece from late last year on Eight Problems With Your Firm’s Strategic Plan.

Two of my favorites:

Is anybody doing anything? Someone has to follow up to ensure that people execute the plan. People say they will work on strategic initiatives, but then go back to their everyday roles and spend all of their time on “real work.” After all, it’s more immediate, tangible, and within their comfort zone. I’m not advocating management by embarrassment, but there must be enough follow-up, rewards, and consequences to put teeth into the actions. If nothing else, the process should enable you to get more done than you would have otherwise.

And this beauty…

Is our plan “strategic?” Two issues are involved. First, did you use a model that lends itself to a strategic plan—not to be confused with a business plan, a marketing plan, or a five-year financial projection? Second, did you deal with strategic issues? Many planning teams wind up discussing operational issues if the facilitator does not remain vigilant.

The biggest truths in management and organizational planning — whether you’re doing it for your own company or assisting with an effort as part of a consulting team — are timeless, despite what much of the this-internet-thing-changes-everything crowd would have you believe. The article is good, concentrated management wisdom — go read it.

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Jeff Jarvis over at BuzzMachine makes the great point that this word-and-link stew we’re all creating via weblogs is just the first step in a growing value chain.

Key concept: linking as a social gesture. Sure, you might link to something because it’s informational or (as some of the more cynical among us think) because you believe it will boost your Google rankings. But there’s more to it than that. Linking is a way people connect the dots with what they believe in, what interests them and what they find worthwhile. You can bet Google (which, like God, knows every sparrow’s fall and every link’s destination) is figuring out a way to monetize this.

Key backdrop: The potential for a slow-mo market failure in the information economy, which we may already be seeing signs of. I hate to quote the same blog twice in one post, but after I started writing this, BuzzMachine had much to say on this topic.

Why does this matter to PR? Read on…
Read more …

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Kevin Laws over at VentureBlog has damned good advice for anyone who uses networking to develop new business or find a job. Great advice for all you rainmakers and job seekers out there.

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Hiding over in the bowels of VentureBlog’s archives, there’s a 2003 post from Andew Anker (largely quoting Abigail Johnson of Roeder-Johnson) that should be required reading for anyone selling communications services.

My favorite snippet:

Early in my career I learned the adage “He who wins in a down market wins.” This is true today on many levels, not the least of which is strategic communications.

Let me explain: if a company is trying to define and lead a market, a down, quiet market is a great opportunity to take the time for the market education process that will inevitably be needed. Regardless of the state of the market, education will be needed. But in today’s market, an interesting, new idea can get an unfair mindshare compared to the way it was a few years ago. And, if a special, potential leader doesn’t do this, there is a good chance that they will go through their life as an also-ran.

What are the benefits of well-thought out and executed strategic communications? Those who lead the market ultimately can lower their cost of capital…

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I came across Will Harris’s excellent How to (and not to) work with a designer, as well as Indi Young’s Keep office politics out of your design. I don’t usually post much on design-related issues, but presentation matters, and the surest way to screw up the presentation component is not knowing how to work well with creatives.

Both essays are good, fundamental reading on the subject.

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There’s an interesting thread over at Slashdot titled “How Would You Like a Business to Behave?” The original post was from someone who wants to build in ethical, customer-focused standards of doing business in his start-up, but the range of rants and advice has a lot of wisdom in it.This post, in particular, makes the point that your ethics and your communications are joined at the hip — damned good advice.

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