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Embedding Strategy Toolkit

To make a visionary idea a reality, community college leaders must translate strategy from something that is lofty or vague to something that is more operational and implementation-focused. Use this toolkit to translate strategic priorities into S.M.A.R.T. goals and make strategy impactful to staff at all levels, boosting staff engagement in institutional strategy.

Once community college cabinet leaders become adept at developing a strategic mindset and crafting visionary strategy for the institution, the next challenge is to cascade that vision or strategy down throughout their vertical so that the idea becomes a reality. This often requires translating strategy from something that is lofty or vague to something that is more operational and implementation-focused.

Use this toolkit from the Community College Executive Forum to:

Translate strategic priorities into S.M.A.R.T. goalsConnect staff's roles and responsibilities to strategic goalsCultivate department-wide engagement with strategic goals and their success.

Download the full toolkit or explore each tool below.

This toolkit uses the S.M.A.R.T. goal framework 1, defined as specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely, to help cabinet members introduce and embed their strategic vision into the daily lives of their stakeholders. We've outlined 10 questions to consider when defining campus-wide goals and created a table that illustrates each element of a strategic goal during the goal setting process.

To deliver a culture change, leaders must ensure stakeholders know how their role relates to the overall vision and the roles of their colleagues. The University of West Georgia utilizes scorecards to cascade the metrics tied to specific goals to stakeholders at each level of the institution. We created sample scorecards to illustrate how this practice ensures that all stakeholders…

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