Strategic Planning: From Plot Holes to Power Moves

Let’s face it, strategic planning sometimes feels like watching a movie you didn’t exactly choose but still have to sit through. Sure, there's some action, a little drama, and maybe even a plot twist. But how do you make sure the next year for your credit union isn’t a bad sequel? 

Was Last Year a Drama, Comedy, Sci-Fi?

No, really. If your last year played out on screen, would it be a slapstick comedy full of missteps and “whoops” moments? Or was it more of a survival thriller, where your team barely made it out alive? Perhaps it was a sci-fi flick, where everything was new, strange, and filled with mysterious algorithms.

Figuring out the genre helps put things in perspective. It provides a lens to view how things went without getting bogged down in data, charts, or graphs. Plus, it will force you to reflect on the overall tone of the year: chaotic, controlled, or caught between the two.

Every movie has a theme (even the bad ones). In your case, what themes kept popping up over the last year? Did “budget cuts” make some unwelcome cameos? Was “staff turnover” a recurring villain? Maybe “innovative solutions” took the spotlight! Now, you’re wondering how to keep the momentum going.

Identify 2-3 major themes that seemed to follow your credit union around, because trust us, they’re probably not going away without effort. These themes are what you’ll need to address head-on in your strategic planning for next year—no cliffhangers allowed.

Regrets, We’ve All Got a Few

Disappointments happen. Maybe your big project didn’t pan out, or that new technology didn’t deliver quite the way it promised. It’s like that movie where the trailer was awesome, but the film itself? Meh. Don’t shy away from these letdowns; they’re crucial to growth.

Think of them like the plot holes you need to address in next year’s screenplay. What didn’t go as planned, and how can you avoid the same fate in the future? The goal here is honest reflection, so you can stop hitting rewind on the same mistakes.

What Was Missing?

As you look back on the year, ask yourself what was missing from your credit union. More resources? Better communication? A stronger sense of direction? Maybe you had all the characters but none of the chemistry. Identifying these gaps is essential to making sure your next year has a fully developed plot with no awkward silences or missing scenes.

Every year teaches us something, whether we like it or not. These lessons are like the underlying message of your movie, the moral of the story. What did this past year teach you about leadership, teamwork, or resilience? Take some time to really think about the big takeaways and how they’ll shape your credit union’s strategy moving forward.

Now, here’s the kicker: None of this reflection is worth a dime if you don’t put in the time. Give yourself some time to go through these questions. Think of it as writing the script for next year’s movie. Trust me, it’s time well spent. 

Plan ahead, write your story, and make sure it’s a blockbuster, not a box-office bomb.

Discover the Power of Your Response

Setbacks can turn into our greatest source of strength. While we can’t always control what happens, we can control how we move forward.