Strategy Isn’t Announced. It’s Built Together.
This post is being re-shared, with permission, from the LinkedIn page of our client Mike Blackwelder—CEO of Smart Start of Mecklenburg County. It has been a joy to work alongside Mike and the rest of his team on the organization’s new strategic plan.
When I stepped into the CEO role at Smart Start of Mecklenburg County, the organization had nearly doubled its size in both staffing and funding within five years, while navigating leadership transitions. We knew we needed a strategic plan. But before we wrote a single word, we started with a simple question:
Why are we doing this, and what do you need the outcome to be?
Our leaders told us three things:
We needed solid footing—the ability to set our own direction rather than constantly chase competing priorities.
We needed our internal operations to evolve with our growth—with clearer processes, stronger systems, and better collaboration.
Most importantly, we needed to know we were making an impact for children and families in a rapidly changing community.
Those conversations became the foundation for our strategic plan. Together with our staff, board, partners, and community, we clarified who we are, named the values that guide how we work, and organized our priorities around three areas: strengthen the system, invest wisely, and impact kindergarten readiness.
My biggest leadership takeaway was that strategy isn't something leaders should simply announce. It should be built with the people who will bring it to life. We don't have every answer, and there are certainly challenges ahead. But today, we have something we were missing: clarity about where we're going, why we're going there, and how we'll measure whether we're making a difference. And that direction came from the people doing the work.