Give us an example of a time you thought outside the box to develop a strategic plan.

"As the leader of the strategic growth committee of my employer right out of college, I felt that it was important to solicit employee feedback as we looked to create and implement our first-ever strategic plan. I created an idea box where employees were prompted to anonymously submit any helpful ideas for creating an outward-looking success strategy. I communicated with employees through email, team meetings, and a company newsletter. After three months, our committee went through every suggestion in the box and brainstormed which ideas could be implemented into our strategy. In the end, we received many great thoughts and ideas that we likely wouldn't have come up with on our own."

"I believe too many organizations only look internally when developing a strategic plan when they should also be soliciting feedback from customers, stakeholders, and the general public. When working with a regional grocery retailer last year, I utilized public focus groups to delve into the minds of consumers to aid in creating a strategic plan. We wanted to get as much relevant information as possible from the focus groups, so a great deal of thought was put into the questions asked of the focus group."