Governing boards set the course for associations, but the press of day-to-day business can get in the way of the broader role of setting strategy. Consequently, organizations can tend to operate on inertia...with insufficient time or resources given to broader strategic issues. The professionals at Challenge Management work with association governing boards and staff members to set strategies and, just as importantly, the action plans to ensure they are effectively implemented. Ours can be called a tactical approach to strategic planning.

Our approach to strategy development varies, depending on the organization's status and its history. For small or new organizations, we might use a basic strategy development model that helps the association craft a program of immediate action and build a foundation for further action over time. In an organization that has evolved a bit more, due to either time or experience, an issues-based approach might be chosen, instead. A scenario-based approach might be selected if participants were to have difficulties viewing the organization from the "35,000-foot level." An organic approach might be deemed appropriate for an association whose culture calls for strong consideration of core values and beliefs and whose members are sufficiently patient.

The most important aspect to our style of working with boards, committees, and staff is this: no one approach works in every situation, so we choose an approach tailored to the organization. Our bottom line for strategy development is that strategy must ALWAYS lead to decisions and action.