Cotton candy business planning. You may have experienced it.

 It isn’t much different than those pink tornadoes you’ve likely eaten at the summer fair.

 They always look like a good idea. And as the first bits of this melt-in-your-mouth treat hits your tongue, it even feels like a good idea. But before long the sugar kicks in, your energy spikes as your blood sugar levels rise, and then you crash. At this time, you might feel jittery and anxious. You start to realize the physical effects as well – sticky hands, a sore tongue, sugar-coated teeth, and the beginnings of a headache.

 It is almost inevitable. Without any substance to the cotton candy, the crash is almost always going to come.  

 It is not much different in the world of business.

 Businesses often latch on to a trend or what seems like a good idea at the time. Short-term cotton candy plans are often made without linking them to a broader plan that is firmly rooted the business’ purpose or values.

 Like the pink tornado, there is promise of a sweet experience, but it typically doesn’t end well.

 To minimize the “empty calories” in daily business life, it is wise to avoid cotton candy strategic planning. Instead, leaders need to make choices that will nourish their business.

 A great place to start is by determining a core purpose. A core purpose helps plan for the long term, choosing which products to launch or which programming to implement. It steers the direction of any company.

 Businesses often deviate from their mission or purpose because an exciting opportunity comes up. However, having clarity of purpose and creating strategic plans around it, keeps a business focused.

 As authors Simon Sinek, Jerry Porras and Jim Collins all remind us, only after a company figures out their cause for action should they start to consider the actions or how they will realize their belief.

 The strength of a business comes from a strategic plan firmly rooted in a businesses’ core purpose.

 As a challenge this week, I invite you to brainstorm reasons why your company or department exists. Then reduce it into one sentence. Something like: We exist to make X products for Y customers.

 This simple activity is the first step to setting the direction of your business.

 There are more steps to follow but determining your core purpose is a great place to start.

 To learn more about strategic planning, check out our course.