The iconic Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have endured theor fair share of troubles lately, not the least of which is the tyrranical rule of their current Commissioner, Mr. William Elliott.

From the outset, Mr. Elliott's appointment to head up the RCMP has been problematic. In today's Edmonton Sun newspaper, Pamela Roth writes: 

RCMP Commissioner William Elliott says he doesn’t regret a controversial decision to carry a gun on a trip to Afghanistan last year.

Following his visit to the war-torn country in April 2010, a photograph of Elliott — a civilian commissioner — wearing an RCMP uniform and carrying a holstered gun appeared in the mission’s newsletter.

The photograph raised questions among rank-and-file officers about whether Elliott had the proper qualifications to carry the weapon, and eventually led to a formal complaint being launched.

Elliott, who was in Edmonton on Thursday, said he was carrying the gun for personal protection and had some training before he went on the mission.

“People think I should have been trained to the same standards as our men and women who are on the streets of Canada arresting people and doing law enforcement. That’s not what I was doing in Afghanistan,” said Elliott. “I have no regrets to make the decision that I took.”

The Harper government announced last week that Elliott will step down this summer as the RCMP’s first civilian commissioner.

Elliott has been ruffling feathers since he was appointed in 2007, forcing the government to launch an internal human resources review of his management of the force.

This little incident pales in comparison to his behaviour vis-a-vis his own employees during his tenure as commisioner. It seems that he was the consummate "office bully." He regularly berated, humiliated, and otherwise yelled at his underlings, showing a total lack of interpersonal skills. The situation became so bad, that on February 8, 2011, it was the subject of a hearing with the Public Safety Committee of Canada's House of Commons.

At the hearing, Elliott was accused of causing the morale of the RCMP to sink to an "all time low" because of his abusive leadership style.

Deputy Commissioner Raf Souccar, along with former assistant commissioner Mike McDonell led was was effectively a revolt against Elliott last summer. It shook the RCMP to its core.  Elliott has announced that he will resign effective July 2011. Presumably he will be replaced by an RCMP insider.

And now I come to the point of this entry.

The comments from Raf Souccar were fascinating, and aligned directly with the Ten Toxins of Strategic Planning that I revealed in my blog entry just previous to this one.

Souccar testified before the Commons committee that he had spoken to Elliott about his behaviour, and found that he (Elliott) either could not, or would not change." "Members wanted to come forward with complaints," said Souccar, "but they were fearful that they would either lose their jobs, or that they would be moved out of their current positions." 

"I have to tell you that I had so many people complain to me about Bill Elliott's disrespectful behaviour that my very position required me to act. I was a member of the Senior Executive Committee, and I could no longer point a finger of blame at the senior executives for inaction, because I was one,. Mr. Chairman, I took my position very seriously and could not stand by and watch while two of our very core values, Respect, and Compassion, be nothing more than words hanging on a wall in our buildings across Canada." 

Bravo, Mr. Souccar. We would all be well served by more senior executives who share your sense of courage and integrity.

As for the monster called Bill Elliott? No doubt he will secure a lucrative and meaningless position somewhere in the civil service. The private sector, however, should be ashamed that it breeds and rewards brutality such as his.   

The following article, authored by "yours truly" was published in the Durham Business Times, February 2011 edition. I hope that you will enjoy:

As the senior manager or proprietor of a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME), does the prospect of developing a strategic plan frighten the daylights out of you? Do you view strategic planning as the exclusive domain of intellectuals, expensive consultants, or even mystical practitioners in the Dark Arts?

Perhaps the overwhelming volume of literature and teaching regarding strategic planning has contributed to its becoming an intimidating activity. It does not have to be so. One thing is certain: those SME’s who effectively utilize a strategic plan enjoy a much greater chance of long-term success, whether measured in key financial performance indicators, longevity, or cultural stability. Professor Sydney Finkelstein of Dartmouth College provides a concise working definition of “Strategy.” It is: “what a company does, or does not do to fulfil its vision in a competitive marketplace”.

The high-impact strategic plan can be presented effectively on one page. Its elements can be expressed in a few well-chosen words, clauses or sentences. The strategic plan should not be confused with an operations or business plan:  the latter two are subservient to the strategic plan, shorter in timeframe, and far more detailed. A strategic plan well done is the manifestation of elegant simplicity. Yet it is powerful enough to guide the daily activities of dozens, hundreds, and even thousands of employees.  

Within the strategic plan, senior management sets the dominant logic and the moral compass of the organization. It is an opportunity to unambiguously document ethics for leadership continuity. It forces introspection and situational analysis. And, primarily through articulation of core values, it provides a directional beacon especially in hard times.

Fundamentally, the creation of a strategic plan is a five-step process:

The Vision

The Vision is an inspirational call to action. In a few short words, the CEO or senior manager uses the Vision to point the way to the company’s future. It should engage our emotions. It should be designed to last for many years. For example, Google’s vision statement is world-class: “To develop a perfect search engine.”

Core Values

With ethical problems causing the downfall of countless corporations each year, preparing a statement of Core Values becomes vitally important. Choose five or six words or short phrases that define the values that must be intrinsic to your culture. Examples of such words might include “integrity”, “transparency”, or “honesty”. Core Values will guide your firm in making hard choices in very difficult times. They must not be compromised. They will state how you will treat others as well as yourself. Hire people who personify your Core Values.

The Mission

An effective mission statement should be able to tell your company story and ideals in less than 30 seconds. Comprised of three or four short sentences, it is more detailed than the Vision, and is often written in the present tense. It defines your company’s customers, products, and how your company contributes unique value for its customers.

Strategic Objectives:

Strategic objectives should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-framed (SMART). Three to five objectives should suffice, and they should be attainable within one to three years. For reasons of confidentiality, strategic objectives are rarely published outside the company, but they must be effectively communicated to all employees. 

SWOT Analysis:

This acronym stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. An honest, fact-based discussion between senior management and key advisors needs to take place. Documenting strengths and weaknesses tends to involve serious introspection, while opportunity and threat analyses tend to require external environmental scanning. 

Since it establishes the firm’s current position relative to its competitive environment, the SWOT can be very useful in establishing objectives and even the mission. It is therefore frequently performed early in the planning process.

The strategic plan is a living document. It must be communicated effectively and constantly to employees. Successful businesses frequently incorporate the plan into the annual employee performance review process, ensuring that individual and departmental goals and objectives are aligned with the strategic plan. The strategic plan should be reviewed at least annually, noting any SWOT changes that might require modifying strategic objectives.  A comprehensive renewal of the strategic plan should be undertaken every three years.

While helping to prevent tactical conflicts between operational departments, a good plan will also discourage spending on projects that are not aligned with strategic goals.

For a wealth of information, simply search key words such as “vision statement” on the internet.