Why Strategic Planning Fails (and What to Do Instead)
More than 75% of organizations that succeed in the long term operate with a strategic plan. But only a fraction of leadership teams dedicate meaningful time to it.
And yet, most leadership teams rarely make time for it.
Why?
Because planning often turns into posturing. People get stuck in a conference room, toss around a bunch of ideas, write them on a flipchart…and six months later, it’s collecting dust.
At The Barzel Group, we don’t do dust-collecting plans. We help you create a strategic plan that actually gets used, built on clarity, alignment, and a process that drives action.
A Strategic Planning Firm That Leads With Process, Not Ego
We’re not here to take over your business. You bring the content—we bring the process.
As strategic planning consultants, our job is to:
- Ask the right questions
- Create the space for alignment and honest dialogue
- Help you build a unified plan that becomes part of your daily rhythm
We use a time-tested methodology called StratOp, developed by Tom Paterson and practiced by high-impact organizations across the U.S. It works because it’s rooted in reality, not buzzwords.
Our Strategic Planning Services
We work with leadership teams to guide:
Annual Strategic Planning Retreats
Quarterly Review & Adjustment Sessions
Full-Scale Plan Development Using the StratOp Method
Team Alignment + Accountability Structures
Long-Term Plan Renewal + Reorientation
Whether you need a one-time planning session or a long-term facilitation partner, we’ll meet you where you are.
The 6 Phases of the StratOp Process
1. Perspective
“Perspective before planning.” We start by assessing your current reality: organizational health, market position, leadership culture, and more.
2. Core Plan
Where are we headed? This is where you define mission, vision, and values and identify what makes your business different. From there, we create a strategic framework based on what you actually believe in.
3. Action
Once you know where you’re going, we ask, “What’s Important Now?” (W.I.N.). Then we help your team build quarterly priorities to move the plan forward.
4. Structure
We evaluate whether your people, systems, and structure are helping—or hurting—the plan. We help you align decision-making with the work that matters.
5. Management
We meet quarterly to ask, “How are we doing?” Your team learns to manage the plan weekly, monthly, and quarterly.
6. Renewal
Each year, we reset. You gain fresh perspective, identify trends, and fine-tune your objectives, and the StratOp process begins again!
Why Work With a Strategic Planning Consultant?
“We’re the process. You’re the content.”
Tools We Use in Strategic Planning
Thinking Wavelength
Understand how your team thinks so you can assign the right work to the right people.
-
Four Helpful Lists
What’s right? What’s wrong? What’s missing? What’s confusing? Answer those, and you’re halfway to a plan.
-
Patterns and Trends
We help you identify what’s changing in your industry, so you can act, not react.
-
SWOT Analysis
We use this as part of action planning, not just a theoretical exercise. It becomes the launchpad for real initiatives.
What Clients Say After Strategic Planning
As the Executive Director of a global non-profit ministry, it's been extremely valuable to have Jay as a Leadership Coach. since July 2017. I've found Jay's straightforward approach beneficial, inspiring, and rewarding. He's helped me identify key performance gaps, create plans for improvement, and implement lasting change. Personally, I admire Jay for his generous, caring heart and dedication to relationships. He truly cares about the individuals he coaches and wants his clients to flourish in all aspects and areas of his/her lives.
Cindy Bultema
Jay has this unique gifting to sit with you, listen to your situation/issues and then, he hits you with it...this laser-focused, pin-pointed, exacting diagnosis as to the core issue(s) that you're dealing with. His ability to identify not the symptoms, but the cause of my issues, has been so helpful. I would highly recommend Jay to anyone looking for some self-awareness growth as well as outside eyes on business improvement.
Hunter Hall
Jay brings a wealth of wisdom and leadership principles. As a CEO, Jay gave me a set of tools that I can use in multiple situations to help with decision-making and leadership. I would definitely recommend him!
Jon Verlee
Jay has been an invaluable coach and resource for the continued success and growth of our business. I would highly recommend him to anyone looking to take their business to the next level.
Ross Haan
Avalanche Creative
StratOp for small businesses makes a difference in helping startups grow to their full potential, as is the case for Avalanche Creative, an SEO agency.
1 Bold Step
The Barzel Group helped 1 Bold Step transition from a marketing agency to a full-service growth agency with our strategic planning process.
Impact Fab
The Barzel Group helped Impact Fab create a strategic plan that married the freedom to pivot with the discipline of written goals.
Mulder Holding Company
The Barzel Group helped Mulder Holding Company, a transportation and full-service logistics company, navigate generational leadership change.
Meet the Strategic Planning Team
We’re not a big firm with a junior associate showing up to run your retreat. You’ll work directly with seasoned facilitators who bring wisdom, candor, and clarity to every session.
Who We Work With
We’re not for everyone—and that’s by design.
Our strategic planning consulting services are best suited for leadership teams that are ready to stop reacting and start leading with intention.
We work best with:
- Companies in growth, transition, or reinvention mode
- Executive teams that value clarity, collaboration, and accountability
- Leaders who want to build culture, not just hit numbers
- Teams that need help moving from silos and chaos to structure and traction
If your team is coachable, curious, and ready to align around a clear plan, you’re in the right place.
The Barzel Leadership Circle
Some teams finish strategic planning and realize: “This is just the start.”
The Barzel Leadership Circle is our next-level offering—an invite-only peer group of leaders who are serious about growth, accountability, and impact.
Circle members meet regularly to:
- Stay aligned with their strategic plan
- Learn from other high-capacity leaders
- Make better decisions with more clarity and confidence
- Get sharpened as both leaders and people
If you’re ready to stay sharp and go further, we’d love to talk with you about joining.
