The Secret to a Great Planning Process - Lessons from Airbnb and Eventbrite

It’s important to challenge yourself and your peers to cut even the good ideas if they aren’t perishable (can be done later), strategic (don’t directly support this plan’s strategy), or differentiating (set you apart from your competition). Instead, put those resources against the top priorities.

Planning is hard because it's inherently different from other exercises your organization takes on . Rather than focusing on day-to-day execution, it requires a large number of people to think about a variety of possible futures, align on one single future, and then plot a concrete course to get there. Taking this on for your own personal goals (f

Rolling out a new plan gives leaders the opportunity to create strong buy-in, trust, and excitement for the work ahead. Don't squander it.

This may sound painful now, but in our experience, having your strategy inform your structure (versus the other way around) is the only way to be successful long-term

The five essentials ingredients to any company strategy document are:

1. Mission - What are you meant to achieve




2. Vision - What does it look like once you’ve achieved it




3. Goal - How do you concretely know you’ve achieved it




4. Strategy - What is the path to achieving it




5. Strategic pillars - Three to five key bets that the company needs to make