Running heading: LINCOLN, NEBRASKA POLICE DEPARTMENT NEED ASSESSMENT 1 LINCOLN, NEBRASKA POLICE DEPARTMENT NEED ASSESSMENT 6 Lincoln, Nebraska Police Department Need Assessment Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Date Lincoln, Nebraska Police Department Need Assessment Introduction In 1989, the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies accredited the Police department. The police department focusses on ensuring consistency, fairness, and professionalism in the provision of the policing services. Due to the increase in the number of hacktivists, the department aims at bolstering the sector. Community policing is a fundamental role improved by proper training and allocation of the needed resources. The resources may be human, physical, and financial. This paper focusses on conducting a need assessment for Lincoln, Nebraska department based on the mentioned objectives. Goals and vision of the department For effective policing, there is a need to complement the common goals and vision. Cultural competence or community competence is essential in policing. The police service should be aware of the surrounding, which has proved to influence the behavior. Behavior affects the crime rate as criminals can effectively evaluate the environment for the assurance that will succeed. For example, drug peddlers associate littered streets and abandoned houses as the best environment for his business. Through cultural community competence, the department will be useful in curbing such crimes. The police department needs to analyze crime factors. This has been an effective strategy in the prevention of situational crimes. The crimes include the prevention of robberies of banks and stores. The crime factors have been attributed to causing more trouble to the citizenry. The identification of the relationship between community issues and the physical surrounding calls for the systematic analysis of the environmental conditions. This analysis should be carried using questionnaires in the form of surveys, which are conducted by members of the public and or the police officers. This will also assist in understanding the community within. Hybrid modeling as a strategy has been effective in boosting the security aspect of a different organization. The concept has been associated with “Hybrid blending,” whereby the respective society produces staff to act as volunteers in the police services (Fenner, 2014). In most cases, these staff will provide non-essential services. These individuals work together with the trained officers as they are trained too. In some cases, the officers can be deployed as police reservists. Factors considered in the analysis The needs of the community as far as policing is concerned is crucial in the provision of services. This is based on the issues bothering Lincoln society. Based on data obtained from the neighborhood scout, the crime rate is high in Lincoln. The safest areas inc ...

1. Running heading: LINCOLN, NEBRASKA POLICE
DEPARTMENT NEED ASSESSMENT 1
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA POLICE DEPARTMENT NEED
ASSESSMENT 6
Lincoln, Nebraska Police Department Need Assessment
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Date
Lincoln, Nebraska Police Department Need Assessment
Introduction
In 1989, the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement
Agencies accredited the Police department. The police
department focusses on ensuring consistency, fairness, and
professionalism in the provision of the policing services. Due to
the increase in the number of hacktivists, the department aims at
bolstering the sector. Community policing is a fundamental role
improved by proper training and allocation of the needed
resources. The resources may be human, physical, and financial.
This paper focusses on conducting a need assessment for
Lincoln, Nebraska department based on the mentioned
objectives.

2. Goals and vision of the department
For effective policing, there is a need to complement the
common goals and vision. Cultural competence or community
competence is essential in policing. The police service should
be aware of the surrounding, which has proved to influence the
behavior. Behavior affects the crime rate as criminals can
effectively evaluate the environment for the assurance that will
succeed. For example, drug peddlers associate littered streets
and abandoned houses as the best environment for his business.
Through cultural community competence, the department will
be useful in curbing such crimes.
The police department needs to analyze crime factors. This has
been an effective strategy in the prevention of situational
crimes. The crimes include the prevention of robberies of banks
and stores. The crime factors have been attributed to causing
more trouble to the citizenry. The identification of the
relationship between community issues and the physical
surrounding calls for the systematic analysis of the
environmental conditions. This analysis should be carried using
questionnaires in the form of surveys, which are conducted by
members of the public and or the police officers. This will also
assist in understanding the community within.
Hybrid modeling as a strategy has been effective in boosting the
security aspect of a different organization. The concept has
been associated with “Hybrid blending,” whereby the respective
society produces staff to act as volunteers in the police services
(Fenner, 2014). In most cases, these staff will provide non-
essential services. These individuals work together with the
trained officers as they are trained too. In some cases, the
officers can be deployed as police reservists.
Factors considered in the analysis
The needs of the community as far as policing is concerned is
crucial in the provision of services. This is based on the issues
bothering Lincoln society. Based on data obtained from the
neighborhood scout, the crime rate is high in Lincoln. The
safest areas include Yankee Hill, Salt hill, Pioneers Blvd,

3. among other streets. The crime rate indicates that more crimes
are associated with violence and property. Violent crimes
include assault, rape, and murder (Neighborhood Scout, 2020).
Property crimes include burglary, theft, and motor vehicle theft.
These factors are related to the neighborhood factors, which
should be critically evaluated to determine the causalities. The
discussed vision and goals will assist in mitigating the
challenges at the community levels, these societies.
Situational analysis will assist in addressing issues of theft in
the area, as the police officers will have analyzed the
environment and curb any robbery. Community competence will
also assist in providing more information about the society
living around (PERF & USA, 1993). This strategy has also been
effective in addressing some crimes such as rape, which can be
addressed through community competence. Analysis of crimes
will evaluate the susceptible areas.
Community need
Based on the analysis of the crimes in the region, the
community needs the protection of their property, as theft cases
are high. Theft can be curbed through policies such as the
analysis of the areas of the crimes that are situational analysis,
which has been effective in preventing bank thefts. The police
service should focus on analyzing the crime region. The
creation of a connection with the community will benefit the
police service. This can be through hybrid modeling, which
employs locals as police reservists. Through this strategy, the
department will get information about the crime-prone areas.
The policy will also assist in reducing the cases of burglary.
Officers in civilians in the form of police reservists may assist
in surveillance.
Rape cases that are on the rise in the area need to be addressed.
The police service in Lincoln should employ the “hybrid
modeling” strategy, which is economical and applicable to any
level of law enforcement (Fenner, 2014). The approach is
mostly applied to diversify the police service by making it
similar to the society they serve. It is also useful in bridging the

4. community gaps, which may be felt by these societies. To
address the rape cases, the community needs to trust the police
service, which is only possible through the criteria. This model
makes policing flexibility, thereby not limited by other factors
that may inhibit the collection of information from the
community. Since community policing has to be a priority and
not a buzz, the Lincoln Department needs to focus on
addressing the issue of rape, which is detrimental to the
physical and psychological wellbeing of the victim.
Conclusion
Needs assessment of Lincoln Nebraska indicates that there is a
need to reformulate their goals and include situational analysis,
hybrid modeling of the service (Fenner, 2014). The police
service also needs to focus on community competence, which
will assist in addressing issues of rape, burglary, and theft,
which prevail in most areas in Lincoln. This will help in
achieving the ultimate goals of the department, which include
community policing.

5. References
Fenner. L, (2014). Hybrid Policing Models — Are They
Possible? The Journal of California Law Enforcement
Neighborhood Scout, (2020). LINCOLN, NE CRIME RATES,
https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/ne/lincoln/crime
Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), & United States of
America. (1993). Police Guide to Surveying Citizens and Their
Environment.
16 SECURITY TECHNOLOGY EXECUTIVE •
May/June 2014 www.SecurityInfoWatch.com
A
city is an entity that is a collection of services and
facilities—spanning public administration, the pri-
vate sector, mobility and urban transportation, the
financial sector, healthcare, city services, and ener-
gy generation. Technology will continue to play a
vital role in the transformation of today’s cities. The
vision for the safe, integrated city of tomorrow is
focused on securing people, property, and processes.
Securing people
Providing a high level of safety and security for the
public, especially in known “hot spots” of criminal
activity and gathering places such as busy downtown
centers, parks, or event venues, is a commitment
that every mayor makes upon election. It is critical
that city management and first responders develop
a Concept of Operations (CONOPS) for citywide
emergency preparedness and have a plan in place to
immediately verify threats and respond accordingly.
Securing property

6. Protecting key resources and critical infrastructure
in and around the city is also imperative, starting
with an early warning of a security breach along
with a solid methodology to verify the threat and
respond immediately by taking the appropriate
counter measures. These city resources and critical
infrastructure are vulnerable to damage or acts of
terrorism and need to be secure at all times.
Securing processes
Responding with effective crisis management is
critical for an integrated city. An efficient escalation
process to address crisis management allows you
to make more informed decisions during an emer-
gency operation for seamless coordination between
agencies. Effective and efficient processes that help
ensure the safety and security of the city and public
are essential.
Integrated safe city
In U.S. cities today, there are multiple security
systems in place—video surveillance, access con-
trol, gunshot detection, alarm monitoring, and
dispatch systems. These systems are often stand-
alone and provide limited situational awareness.
An integrated solution can improve overall situa-
tional awareness, streamline operations, and facili-
tate a quick response for enhanced public safety
throughout the city.
A comprehensive methodology can be applied
to detect threats with risk analysis and scenario
A blended approach is required for building a secured city
environment

7. using both technology and shared intelligence
for the Safe,
Integrated City
of Tomorrow
Creating
a Vision
As urbanization
continues and
population grows,
so does the threat
to safety and
security in our
major cities. A
more intelligent
approach is
required for the
city of tomorrow—
one that is safe,
integrated, and
responsive
(Image courtesy of
Siemens)
SECURED CITIES: SPECIAL FOCUS
B y Ro b er t Wel t o n

8. STE_16-19_Weldon0514.indd 16 5/30/14 12:05 PM
May/June 2014 • SECURITY TECHNOLOGY EXECUTIVE
17www.SecurityInfoWatch.com
planning, prevent breaches in security using intel-
ligent devices, respond quickly and appropriately
to a crisis, and recover from the event through per-
forming a “post-mortem” or “lessons learned” by
city management and first responders (Figure 1).
This type of approach facilitates an appropriate,
effective response by consistently applying your
customized policies, conforming to pre-deter-
mined security procedures, and defining appropri-
ate actions for managing daily routines and time-
critical processes as well as countermeasures for
crisis or emergency situations.
Command and Control Center
for a city
At the hub of a safe, integrated city is the Com-
mand and Control Center, which monitors and
controls the day-to-day operation of all systems
citywide. The Command and Control Center ties
together systems implemented throughout the
city including fire, security, and communication
sub-systems into a single, integrated system to
provide enhanced situational awareness, stream-
lined operations, and faster response and coor-
dination of law enforcement and public safety
officials. In addition, the city’s security policies
and procedures can be integrated into the system
for a customized, effective response to any situa-
tion. Fundamentally, a city’s Command and Con-

9. trol Center should define appropriate actions and
counter measures for a multitude of tasks, from
managing daily routines to time-critical processes
and emergencies.
For example, a city’s Command and Control Cen-
ter monitors a high-crime neighborhood for loiter-
ing, gang, and drug-related activity using video sur-
veillance with analytics, together with IP enabled
smart lighting to illuminate the area, a License
Plate Recognition (LPR) system, and acoustical tar-
geting technology that detects gun shots. A gun
shot triggers an intelligent, immediate response by
the Event Management System (EMS) — without
receiving a 911 call. A trained, certified operator
accesses the cameras for real-time analysis of the
situation, while the LPR system records the license
plate of a car leaving the area.
The city block is immediately illuminated for
public safety purposes and cordoned off from traf-
fic using the intelligent traffic management sys-
tem (ITM). First responders are informed and they
respond to the situation quickly and appropriately,
and evacuate a wounded bystander to safety. Inves-
tigators can use the recorded video with forensic
search capabilities and the LPR to identify and track
down the suspects and for their prosecution. In
cases of vandalism, reparations can potentially be
made based on the video evidence. Having a single,
centrally managed platform not only simplifies pro-
cesses, but also efficiently uses the city’s resources
and reduces response time in an emergency. In fact,
many targeted areas for crime or terrorism threats
can be monitored remotely.

10. Tourist attractions, public housing areas, busy
downtown areas, public transportation hubs or
other critical infrastructure, such as ports, rail
yards, and transformer or switching stations, can
be closely monitored for safety using video analyt-
ics. For example, a public transportation system
equipped with video surveillance with analytics
software can monitor track safety when a train
enters or leaves the station. Video analytics soft-
ware performance has improved dramatically with
the ability to detect multiple security events. For
example a suspicious package left in a crowded area
could be detected on camera while another cam-
era detects a surge of crowd activity on one side
of the lobby area indicating an abnormal circum-
stance. This type of technology is beneficial since it
leverages video surveillance assets, 24x7 operation,
and automated functionality whereby events are
pushed to operators lessening the requirement to
constantly monitor video streams.
Public and private events in and around the city,
from concerts to sporting events, can be actively
monitored with video surveillance and plans in
place for crowd control and emergency response in
the event of an emergency due to extreme weath-
er, a medical crisis, or worst case, a terrorist attack.
Pre-planning of possible scenarios and train-
ing of emergency personnel are critical to ensure
all stages of the response are in place and flow
smoothly. This process begins with proper dissem-
ination of the information from the operator to
first responders on the ground for full situational
awareness and access to maps and information, to

11. appropriately and efficiently responding to the cri-
sis or event, and supporting recovery efforts with
accurate resources, such as ambulances or hazard-
ous materials personnel after the immediate crisis
is under control.
Integrated
Solution
s that Improve Situational Awareness
Mitigate Mobilize Manage
Recover
• "Post Event
Analysis"
as input for
prevention
• Electronic Policy
Enforcement of
SOPs
• Fail over and

12. redundancy
Respond
• CAD
• GIS
• Two Way Comm.
• Mass Notification
• Evacuation Mgmt.
• Crisis Mgmt
• Resource Mgmt
Detect
• Intrusion
Detection
• CCTV
• Access Control

13. • Fire Detection
• Video Analytics
• Emergency Call
Stations
Prevent
• Risk Analysis
• Scenario
Planning
• Simulation
Services
• Public
Awareness
Intelligent Devices ∙ Critical Communications ∙ Enterprise Level
Control
Unrestricted © Siemens Industry, Inc. 2013 All Rights Reserved

14. Figure 1
STE_16-19_Weldon0514.indd 17 5/30/14 12:05 PM
18 SECURITY TECHNOLOGY EXECUTIVE •
May/June 2014 www.SecurityInfoWatch.com
SECURED CITIES: SPECIAL FOCUS
Financing security for a city
There are several options city leaders can inves-
tigate to seek financing for these capital invest-
ments for infrastructure and security projects.
These include:
• Leveraging federal government grants, such
as the Urban Area Security Initiatives (UASI)
program.
• Utilizing citywide energy improvement
initiatives to offset security project cost.
• Initiating Public-Private Partnerships (PPP)

15. within the community.
City leaders should consider the UASI grant
program, which supports expanding regional col-
laboration and is meant to assist participants in
the creation of regional systems for prevention,
protection, response, and recovery. In correspon-
dence with the 9/11 Commission Act, states are
required to ensure that at least 25 percent of appro-
priated funding is dedicated to terrorism preven-
tion planning, organization, training, exercises, and
equipment. While these grants are still available,
the challenge of securing a grant has become more
difficult due to decreasing amount of federal funds
available. For more information on government
grant programs, visit www.fema.gov/grants. 1
Another option for funding security initiatives
is to finance them through an Energy Saving Per-
formance contracting program at the local govern-
ment level. These programs assist cities in imple-
menting capital improvements through energy sav-
ings, and for most projects the savings produced by
the project are sufficient to support the capital cost
of the project over the term of the contract. The

16. savings are guaranteed to the city by the project
vendor, reducing the project risk. The U.S. Depart-
ment of Energy (DOE) supports a broad range of
energy efficiency measures to reduce energy con-
sumption and associated costs. According to the
DOE, “State and local energy costs can account for
as much as 10 percent of a typical government’s
annual operating budget with electricity accounting
for nearly 75 percent of that cost.” 2 When financed
through an ESP contracting program, these energy
efficiency savings can be reallocated to invest in the
city’s security initiatives.
Finally, to create true situational awareness
throughout the city–from industrial and manufac-
turing parks to busy downtown shopping areas is
to form PPPs. Connecting with private companies,
property managers, retail businesses, and commu-
nity organizations that have security cameras in
and around their perimeters allows local govern-
ment entities to leverage this surveillance technol-
ogy and data when critical time arises. These part-
nerships help minimize the upfront capital expense
for the city, while improving response time by law

17. enforcement because more information is avail-
able to the Command and Control Center. It also
fosters a true sense of community where corpo-
rations become actively involved in the process of
creating a safer, more responsive urban environ-
ment. This requires an enabling technology, like
an EMS, a software solution that uses web servic-
es to integrate multiple third-party systems into
a unified, cohesive platform that can “normalize”
the data received from different systems and cre-
ate a common operational picture for the city. For
more on how these PPPs can be leveraged, visit the
website for The National Council for Public Private
Partnerships.3
Call to action
For city leaders with the goal of maximizing their
existing infrastructure and budget, it is impor-
tant to invest in technology that has a planned
integration path downstream. Having the latest
technology may be impressive, but if it cannot
integrate into the existing infrastructure or with
new technology, then its full potential may never
be reached.

18. In addition, it is important to recognize that
detection is not just driven by technology—it’s
human, too. Communication is the most vital ele-
ment of effective management in any emergency
—from reacting efficiently to the immediate crisis
when every second counts to recovering from an
event and creating best practices. Armed with intel-
ligence gathered both overseas and domestically,
this information needs to be shared quickly with
law enforcement to expedite results. To keep this
information secure, there will be greater reliance on
information technologies and high speed networks.
City IT managers will take a greater role in evaluat-
ing, purchasing, and implementing these solutions.
As urbanization continues and population
grows, so does the threat to safety and security
in our major cities. A more intelligent approach is
required for the city of tomorrow—one that is safe,
integrated, and responsive. Leveraging the best of
technology and sharing information helps ensure
the best possible response when confronting even
the worst possible scenario. Technology will con-
tinue to develop and evolve over time. As we look
to the future, city leaders will strive to integrate

19. the latest and best technologies in their Command
and Control Centers to protect lives, property, and
assets and ultimately, make their cities safer and
more secure. ❚
Sources
1http://www.fema.gov/
fy-2012-homeland-security-grant-program
2http://www1.eere.energy.gov/wip/solutioncenter/
3http://www.ncppp.org/
About the
Author
Robert (Rob) Welton
is a national busi-
ness manager for
Siemens Industry,
Inc. with a focus on
enterprise security
solutions for cities
and critical infra-
structure. He has
more than 30 years
of experience in the
security and infor-

20. mation technologies
industries. For more
information, click
on http://www1.
eere.energy.gov/
wip/solutioncenter.
Rob can be reached
at 919-802-7787 or
at [email protected]
siemens.com.
STE_16-19_Weldon0514.indd 18 5/30/14 12:05 PM
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further
reproduction prohibited without
permission.
PMPA
maStON wiEngifD fTODucn, assocwoh V j- : / j T o o l s Y o u
C a n U s a

21. V i s i o n , M i s s i o n . . . P u r p o s e ?
By Miles Free, D irector o f Industry Research and Technology,
PMPA :: [email protected]
Vision and mission statements have become about as
commonplace as letters to Santa in December.
Like letters to Santa, most vision and mission statements
I have encountered describe an organization far differ-
ent from the one I see on a daily basis. To get past the, "I’ve
been a good boy this year," I suggest that you explore in -
stead the organization's purpose. This is often unstated, but
key to what is actually going on. Can your managers and
employees explain what the company's purpose is or what
their purpose is? Can you?
Like the letter to Santa, vision statements are aspirational
in nature. They describe a future state that the company or
organization would like to achieve; the desired impact that
the company would like to have in its customer base, the
larger market, the industry or economy. A vision statement
is not a business plan, which describes the steps to achieve
those goals. The vision statement is there to tell the world
what it is that the company would like to achieve or accom-
plish. The purpose of a vision statement is twofold; the first

22. is to inform about the company’s aspirations for the future,
the second is to motivate and inspire employees and stake-
holders to act on those aspirations.
Take a look at your company's vision statement. Do you
see the aspirational part? Do you see the motivational part?
Do both of these accurately reflect the direction for your
company?
While many people confuse vision and mission state-
ments, or use them interchangeably, the difference is that
f I N T H I S I S S U E
• Vision, Mission ... Purpose?
• Growing PMPA Member Kalkaska Screw
Products Values Active Involvement
• Consolidate Orders to Save on Shipping
• Craftsman's Cribsheet: Regulatory
• Listserve Topics

23. • PMPA Calendar
______________________________________
a mission statement is present-based, rather than future-
looking. The role of the mission statement is to answer,
"Why does this organization exist? What is it that we do?"
PMPA’s vision statement, for example, is: "To be the pro­
vider that best understands and exceeds the needs of our
members while advocating for the success of our industry.”
That “to be" phrase shows the aspirational (future state) di­
rection of this vision statement.
Our mission statement (present-based) describes what
we do and why: "provide information, resources, advoca-
cy and networking opportunities that advance and sustain
our members." Our mission is present-based and explains
what we do and why.
We can see that the vision statem ent is aspirational/
inspirational and that our mission statem ent explains what
we do and why. But are these enough?
I think vision and mission are not, by themselves,

24. enough. I think the organization and its managers and em -
ployees need to have a purpose.
p r o d u c t io n m a c h in in g .c o m :: 17
Vision, Mission ... Purpose? Continued from page 17
What makes up a purpose statement? I have seen defini-
tions of purpose statements that seem to be confused with
mission statements.
I propose that a purpose statement exists to describe
the impact that the company and the employee have on its
customers, clients and stakeholders. It describes the com-
pany's activities/ram the customer's point o f view.
In today’s world, our companies are battered daily by
VUCA, Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity.
These forces are created by customers, markets, suppliers,
regulations, interruptions in infrastructure, global events
and even weather. These VUCA forces create risk for our
m em ber companies

25. I feel that the purpose of PMPA, and our role as its staff,
is: "To reduce the risk that our members face so they can
make the high-precision and hum an safety components
that are critical in today's technologies.” This purpose state­
m ent describes the impact of PMPA, and its work from our
customers' point of view.
How does PMPA act on or enable this purpose? By help-
ing PMPA members with specification interpretations, as-
sisting them with material properties data, collecting and
publishing wage information or business trends reports,
we help to reduce their risk by eliminating uncertainty,
complexity and ambiguity. By being proactive on govern-
m ent regulations, we help to eliminate the risk of uncer-
tainty and volatility of the consequences of those regu-
lations on the operation of their shops and provision of
their products.
Our members also face a great challenge in finding
people with skills to add value in their shops. So an
additional purpose statement for PMPA could be: "To
help create awareness and promote career opportunities,
career training and change the conversation about the
advanced manufacturing jobs we have in our m ember

26. company shops." PMPA offers National Technical
Conferences, PMTS (a national-level Precision
Machining Technology Show), regional mini-conferences
and a host
of employee
development
support tools,
including CEU
credit for PMPA-
provided or
recognized
training to help
people succeed on the job in our industry.
I know your company has a vision statement. I know
you have a mission statement. But does your company
have a purpose statement? Can you explain it? Do your
managers and employees know it? Share it? Live it? What
is your purpose? How are you doing with that?
At PMPA, our job is to protect our members from risk
and serve our m em bers the things that they need to sus-
tain and advance their businesses in today's VUCA envi-
ronm ent. We aren't Santa Claus, but if you are a preci-
sion machining, advanced m anufacturing company, we

27. have stuff on our list that can help advance and sustain
you as you concentrate on making high precision and
hum an safety com ponents that are critical in today's
technologies.
A p u rp o s e s ta te m e n t
d escrib es t h e im p a c t o f
t h e c o m p a n y ’s a c tiv itie s
fr o m t h e c u s to m e r ’s
p o in t o f view .
Growing PMPA M ember Kalkaska Screw Products Values
Active Involvement
own board to bounce ideas off of in order to accom-
plish the goals of your company."
Just as KSP chooses to be active in the community,
Mr. Schlueter ensures that it gives back to the associ-
ation as well. In October, Mr. Schlueter began serving
on the PMPA Finance Committee.
"It was a thrill to be nominated, and I’m really
looking forward to being more involved in an offi-
cial capacity," Mr. Schlueter adds. "I also feel that it's

28. a good thing to give back to other organizations the little
nuggets of information that you have learned along the
way that help you be successful. I think PMPA is very valu-
able for organizations that are in this industry because of
the connections you can make.”
Kalkaska Screw Products is located at 775 Rabourn Road
NE, Kalkaska, Michigan 49646. Phone: 231-258-2560.
Website: kalkaskascrew.com
p r o d u c t i o n m a c h i n i n g . c o m :: 19
Copyright of Production Machining is the property of Gardner
Publications, Inc. and its
content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted
to a listserv without the
copyright holder's express written permission. However, users
may print, download, or email
articles for individual use.

29. september 2013 Investment AdvIsor 59
Every year about this time, I find it prudent to go back to the
basics of my business.
New assumptions and new challenges
have emerged over the course of the
year, and upon assessment, I may have
found that not everything I set out to
do in the current plan was completed.
Additionally, competitors may have
introduced new innovations or tactics
that could threaten my business and
new opportunities have likely emerged.
For financial advisors, it’s easy to
assume that the business is much sim-
pler and not much has changed over the
course of a year. However, experience
tells us this is delusional thinking. If
your practice is one that is not grow-
ing or evolving, chances are the seeds
of destruction were planted long ago.
On the other hand, if your practice has
been going through dynamic change

30. including rapid growth, the risks to
your business could be growing expo-
nentially as well. It’s possible your pur-
suit of growth may have caused you to
miss new opportunities. It is even more
common that the pursuit of new oppor-
tunities may have inadvertently caused
you to alter your strategic course.
Key to reviewing the basics is to
remind yourself of the framework
you created for making strategic
decisions in the first place. In other
words, what’s your vision for what you
want your business to become? Did
the choices you make throughout the
year move you closer to your vision or
detract from it?
For example, assume your stated
long-term vision was that you want-
ed your firm to be recognized as the
leading provider of comprehensive
wealth management to business own-

31. ers in your region. However, most
of your growth this past year came
from a jump in assets from founda-
tions and retirement plans; so much so
that you hired two people to support
this activity. Would you say that your
investment in the business and your
deployment of resources moved you
closer to your vision or detracted from
it? Further, would you say that this dra-
matic growth may have even changed
the strategic direction of your business?
Many advisors would argue, “Who
cares? We grew revenue and we have
more assets. Does it really matter
where it came from?” If you meas-
ure success in short-term movement,
it probably doesn’t matter. But if you
developed your vision and strategy
thoughtfully based on a reasonable set
of assumptions, then your active pur-
suit of non-core business is like violat-
ing the guidelines of your investment

32. policy statement. If you made the same
type of opportunistic decision with cli-
ent money after agreeing to a strategy,
how would you justify it?
Now one thing I am certain about is
that entrepreneurs, including financial
advisors, tend to recoil whenever they
hear “consultant speak” that includes
words like vision, mission and culture.
As a result, many firms tend to avoid
the time-consuming process of stra-
tegic planning and the discipline to
implement it effectively. Rather, they
deal with issues as they arise. That’s
just like your clients who want you
to implement an investment strategy
without going through the process of
goal setting or assessment of risk toler-
ance. The reality is that it takes just as
Vision, Mission, Goals, objectives
The best-managed advisory firms demonstrate strategic
discipline

33. FOrmULAS FOr SUCCeSS
By Mark Tibergien
IVA_0913.indb 59 8/15/13 1:21 PM
60 Investment AdvIsor september 2013 | thinkAdvisor.com
much effort to tread water as it does to
execute a business strategy, so why not
do the latter?
A REFREsHER
In its simplest form, a well-conceived
strategic plan has four stages:
1. Strategic plan, the process through
which you create a vision for what
you want your business to become.
2. Focus, whereby you develop a mis-
sion statement that clearly and suc-
cinctly articulates what your firm
does for whom and how you distin-

34. guish your business from
others.
3. Assessment, the process
by which you determine
strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats
in light of your vision, and
then create specific long-
term goals for your firm.
4. Operating plan, wherein
you create specific, meas-
urable, actionable objectives to
be accomplished in the next 12
months.
It’s important to grasp the distinction
between strategic and operational plan-
ning. The strategic plan tells you where
you want to go, whereas the operating
plan tells you how to get there. The
tactical elements of an operating plan
have immediate appeal to entrepre-
neurs because they are action-oriented

35. and designed to create an immediate
impact like reducing costs, driving rev-
enue or increasing profits. However,
when operating plans are created with-
out the context of strategy, focus and
assessment, the result is often muddled
and resources are poorly allocated.
Once your plan is in place, it is nec-
essary to have a process for measuring
and monitoring your progress against
the plan. This step is often missed,
which is why so many plans sit on the
shelf gathering dust.
wHERE To Go FRoM HERE
The business challenge then is to
decide which phase you are in. Is it
time to refresh your strategy or merely
time to assess your gaps vis-a-vis the
market and the competition? At a mini-
mum, this is a time to update the plan
of action for the next 12 months. What
is critical is that the action plan—your

36. specific objectives—is specific and mea-
surable and supports one of the goals
you established in your strategy.
For example, you may have five goals
that sound something like this:
1. Increase the amount of revenue
from our optimal client (as defined
in your vision statement)
2. Increase the number of partner
candidates inside our firm
3. Improve our profit margins
4. Add more clients that increase
the average net worth of those
we serve
5. Enhance the risk management
processes within our firm
All of these are priorities for
your business and each of them will

37. require attention in the coming year.
When you create an action plan for
the next 12 months, if you come
up with an initiative that doesn’t
help you move closer to any of these
goals, then you should discard it. Be
careful! You could easily rationalize
the goal of improving profit mar-
gins without regard to which types
of clients you onboard. You need
to test your decisions here to make
sure that if you take steps to do one
thing, it doesn’t compromise another.
For example, improving profit mar-
gins without regard to who you do
business with could undermine your
strategy and force you to misallocate
precious resources.
Strategy is not marketing. Marketing
is a component of one’s strategy. The
development and implementation of a
strategic plan is all about resource allo-
cation. So if your vision is to be recog-

38. nized as the leading provider of
wealth management solutions
for business owners in your
region, then you have a frame-
work for where you will spend
your time, money, management
and energy.
The goals that you commit
to then guide you to build
an operating plan that
helps you capture the right
kinds of clients, develop your staff,
improve your profitability, enhance
your productivity and protect your
firm from damage. A vision for
your business that will attract new
business, energize you and your staff,
differentiate you in the marketplace
and produce a reasonable return is the
key to transforming from practitioner
to business owner.
It takes just as much

39. effort to tread water as it
does to execute a business
strategy, so why not do
the latter?
The Takeaway
• Create a vision for what you want
your business to become
• Assess whether your actions moved
you closer to your vision in the past
12 months
• establish a process that makes your
strategic plan the centerpiece of
your critical business decisions
Mark Tibergien, CEO of Pershing Advisor