Time to develop a strategic plan for the State of Nebraska

Henning

Successful organizations, whether they be business, community, or charitable, dedicate a considerable amount of time during the course of the year to an initiative commonly referred to as Strategic Planning, or in laymen's terms, just merely "planning for the future."

Most plans are commonly developed around a vision and a mission with specific goals and objectives in mind, and then once there is a consensus developed with the stakeholders, the task of execution and formulating a "work plan" begins.

The primary reason for planning is the most common challenge that organizations face today, which is "change," and the impact that the forces of change have on their customers or the constituencies served. The factors that most commonly drive "change" are technology and competition which undeniably impact everyone's wants and needs.

The other reason successful organizations plan is because of recognition of the importance of growth and having adequate resources to grow. Failure to recognize this in itself in the private sector can result in a "slow death" and the closing of the doors!

It's highly uncommon for States and their citizens to engage in a Planning Process, although a couple recently have, and Nebraska did in the late 1980's. The Plan that was developed in the latter 80's was called the "New Seeds for Nebraska," however many said it failed due to the lack of Leadership and Execution.

The Nebraska State Chamber of Commerce and Industry believes it's time a Plan is developed for Nebraska and one that elected officials and citizens of the State can buy into. The Chamber has just begun the process and the initiative is called "Forging Nebraska's Future."

Everyone in the State will have the opportunity to offer their thoughts and ideas, and from there a list of Strategic Initiatives will be developed along with specific goals and objectives. In the next few weekds, Forging Nebraska will facilitate a statewide dialogue using relevant and important data related to our long term economic competitiveness. The web site will be launched by the middle of September to solicit public ideas for the next "NExt Generation." These ideas will be narrowed down to the "Top 100 Ideas" and from there will be 3 to 5 goals and actions identified that fall within the Chamber's mission which can have a transformational impact on Nebraska. The Chamber will then partner with elected officials, state and local leaders, and other interested parties to develop and execute action plans to address these goals and ideas.

You are encouraged to participate in this process and express the ideas you believe will positively "Forge Nebraska's future."

Sincerely,

Thomas J. Henning, President

Cash-Wa Distributing Co.

Kearney, Nebraska, 68847