Second only to leadership, strategic planning has been likely more written about than any other management subject.

In studying leadership, we seek to learn the emotional characteristics that define a successful entrepreneur. What makes Bill Gates or Jack Welch succeed when so many CEOs struggle? We often begin with the cult of personality, but soon discover that organizational success is intricately tied to planning and execution.

So we look at strategic planning and too often find chaos. Studies have shown that up to nine out of 10 strategic plans fail. An analysis by Fortune magazine found that:

• 60 percent of organizations don’t link strategy to budgeting

• 75 percent don’t link employee incentives to strategy

• 86 percent of business leaders spend less than one hour per month discussing strategy

• 95 percent of workers don’t understand their organization’s strategy

But why do good intentions fall short?

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