As a vivid example, I recently had the chance to discuss strategy with the mayor of a small city in the Pacific Northwest. His planning committee’s strategic plan contained 47 “strategies” and 178 action items. Action item number 122 was to “create a strategic plan.” As another example, the Los Angeles Unified School District’s strategic plan for “high-priority schools” (discussed on the next page) contained 7 “strategies,” 26 “tactics,” and 234 “action steps,” a true dog’s dinner of things to do. This pattern is all too common in city, school district, and nonprofit strategy work, as well as
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