Pre Season Strategic Planning: White Papers and Executive Memos
As we hit the middle of summer, organizations should start to prepare for a new fiscal year and big picture planning; this is an ideal season to engage in strategic planning. We often encourage our clients: before setting your sights on bold goals and new horizons, you need to ground your team in knowledge, insight, and shared understanding. That work begins with curiosity about your organization, its history, its people, and the context in which it operates.
Strategic planning shouldn't begin with a vision statement—it should begin with a question.
We encourage clients to slow down and explore: What are the forces shaping our future? What stories are we telling ourselves? What data can ground our decisions?
Start with research, not rhetoric. Some of our most useful discovery tools include:
Staff and stakeholder surveys
SWOT analyses (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats)
Roundtables and focus groups
One-on-one interviews with key partners and community leaders
Competitive and peer analysis
Case scenario development
Internal operations and financial reviews
Drafting educational “white papers” and executive memos
This phase isn’t about getting answers - yet. It’s about building a rich landscape of insights that will shape the conversations to come.
White Papers: Accelerate Understanding, Spark Insight
One of the most underused yet powerful tools in strategic planning is the white paper. When written well, a white paper becomes more than a briefing, it’s an on-ramp to meaningful dialogue.
We use white papers to:
Educate stakeholders on complex or emerging issues
Offer a shared language for navigating topics like team-building, change management, or strategic resilience
Condense and contextualize relevant research, like McKinsey studies or foundational books such as Good to Great or Start with Why
Introduce provocative case studies that mirror your organization’s challenges and aspirations
White papers give planners a common jumping-off point. They save time, deepen discussion, and move people from opinion-based debate to insight-based dialogue.
Executive Memos: Connect Big Ideas to Local Realities
Where white papers offer general knowledge, executive memos make it personal.
These internal documents are written by or for your organization’s leadership team. They translate big ideas into community- or organization-specific narratives, providing historical context, internal insight, and strategic relevance.
We often encourage clients to draft memos on:
20-year organizational history and past strategic initiatives
The community or company’s purpose, vision, and values
Profiles of past and current leadership
A snapshot of the financial health of the organization
Current operational strengths and pain points
Executive memos are especially helpful when onboarding a new board or senior leadership team. They offer a shared lens through which to view the present and build the future.
Education isn't a one-time activity. The best organizations are learning organizations which means they continually invest in clarity, cohesion, and communication.
When done right, white papers and executive memos can:
Strengthen group cohesion and board dynamics
Establish a shared knowledge base for strategic growth
Uncover emerging vision themes
Clarify language and frameworks to avoid confusion later
Build energy and readiness for planning and change
We often think of strategy as direction. But before direction comes understanding—and before understanding comes thoughtful preparation.
One of the greatest gifts a leader can offer their team is synthesis: the ability to distill, contextualize, and communicate what matters most.
That’s not just planning. That’s leadership development in action.
