Strategic Plans Don’t Fail Because They’re Flawed | 004 | Planning vs Doing
The daily grind is winning.
Too many, if not most, strategic plans fail, and it’s not because the ideas are bad. It’s because they never stood a chance of being implemented in the first place.
Not because people didn’t care per se.
But because the daily grind won.
You Know This Story
A college spends months creating a strategic plan. Or an equity plan. Or a strategic enrollment management plan. Or an educational master plan. There’s a summit and tons of posters. Energy is high. Hope is high.
Then the real workweek kicks in.
Budget uncertainty
A tech rollout gone wrong
A committee gets hijacked
People retire or move on
No one knows who’s responsible anymore
So, the plan sits. And sits.
Until it becomes more symbol than strategy. A reference point people nod at but don’t follow.
Implementation never really started.
What Successful Colleges Do Differently
They don’t wait for the “perfect” plan.
They build the muscle for follow-through. Here’s what that looks like:
1. They Revisit Plans Every Year
Not just to check boxes. But to align strategies, eliminate duplication, and update priorities across all their plans. Strategic plan, equity plan, ed master plan, strategic enrollment management plan—it all has to talk to each other. I think of a plan like a menu: each year, campuses choose what to actually serve. Let’s stop pretending institutions can implement 50-plus strategies at once. Progress requires focus. It’s far more effective to identify a few high-impact priorities and execute them well. That’s exactly how I work with the campuses I coach—we cut through the noise and move forward with real implementation. We do the work.
2. They Project Manage the Work
They don’t “hope” someone runs with it. They assign roles, timelines, and milestones. Implementation is coordinated and not assumed.
3. They Build Trust
There’s less blaming and more collaboration. Too many colleges implode because people turn on each other when things get hard. The ones that move forward have honest conversations and each other’s backs.
4. They Hire Smart, Kind, Committed People
Yes, diversity is critical. I believe in it. But hiring only for diversity without also valuing expertise and emotional intelligence? That hurts everyone.
5. They Know Their North Star
No mission soup. No 28 goals. Just one or two clear, bold goals. For example, “Double three-year completions in five years.” That’s the anchor. Just about everything else lines up behind it.
6. They Don’t Let the Noise Win
Exceptional leaders (faculty are leaders too), don’t get distracted by every fire drill. They know the chancellor or the president alone can’t force change. But aligned teams can. And when everyone stays focused, stuff gets done, even in the chaos.
Here’s the Hard Truth
Most institutions either choose the grind or are trapped in it.
The result? Exactly what the grind produces: substandard student success outcomes.
In some cases where the culture is extraordinarily healthy, the daily grind is student-centered, and these campuses achieve strong results, even without relying heavily on a formal plan. But campuses like that are the exception, not the rule.
What will you do to ensure the daily grind doesn’t win anymore?
Onward…
Dr. Al Solano
Founder, Continuous Learning Institute | About
Host, Student Success Podcast
A meaningful test of success is how helpful we are in contributing to our fellow human being’s happiness.