It seems that I have been involved in strategic planning my entire life,
either as the person responsible for developing the plan, as the planning
facilitator, or as the trainer of other facilitators. My first involvement in
strategy was in the military, where I learned the art and science of stra-
tegos--"to lead an army." When I was asked to serve on the team that
was to build a new university, I discovered an entirely new application
of strategy. Because of that success, I have been given the opportunity
to facilitate the strategic plans for numerous corporations (some Fortune
500 companies) in a variety of industry types. In addition, since 1980,
my firm and I have facilitated over 700 plans for educational systems,
both throughout the United States and abroad.

From all this experience I have realized two things. First, most at-
tempts at strategic planning fail to realize the power implicit within the
concept of strategy. Thus, all too often the results of planning are dis-
appointment and frustration, and in some instances the organization suf-
fers irreparable damage. Second, and more personal, I have discovered
that the concept of strategy is far more than a methodology or a tech-
nique. It is actually a philosophical view of oneself, the world, and the
way things work. Furthermore, we only know its full power by discov-
ering our own.

Looking back, it is abundantly clear that I have been truly privileged
to work with the very best organizations of their kind. And each project,
each relationship, has been an opportunity for research and learning.
Taken together, those experiences have provided me with a unique ed-
ucation, unavailable anywhere else or in any other way. It is as though
25 years ago I was planted on a huge, uncharted island, and since that

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