Dr. Ira Blatstein teaches courses in strategic planning, change management, and leadership; as well as consulting on strategic planning and national security issues relating to his DoD (Department of Defense) experience. He is the recipient of several awards, including two SES (USA Government‘s Senior Executive Service) awards, the USA's Presidential Rank Meritorious Award, and the Presidential Rank Distinguished Award.
Dr. Blatstein joined The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in 1999 and later became Director of Strategic Planning. In November, 2009, Dr. Blatstein accepted a full time position as assistant professor in the Division of Public Safety Leadership. Previously, Dr. Blatstein was selected as the first Technical Director of USA ‘s Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC). Before, he was Head of the Engineering Department NSWC, then Deputy Technical Director of NSWC, and Head, Research and Technology Department of the NSWC. Before these Senior Executive Service assignments, Dr. Blatstein performed and led research in underwater explosion effects and explosion acoustics at the USA's Naval Ordnance Laboratory (NOL). He began his management career as Head of the Explosion Effects Branch, and became Head of the Radiation Division, managing research and technology in solid state physics, electromagnetics, electro-optics, mathematics and radiation effects.
In a previous article, the author discussed strategic planning and its application to a variety of organizations. This article extends the application of these strategic planning principles to an individual' s life. Increased life expectancy is leading to the desire/requirement to plan well beyond the end of an individual' s traditional first career. The paper delves into application of strategic planning to plan the second half of an individual' s life.
It also discusses the incorporation of these ideas into strategic planning classes. Finally the article reports on the results of a survey that has been used to assess the impact that this planning has on students' perspectives on their future and on strategic planning. Key conclusions of the paper are: 1) Doing this type of planning makes individuals feel positive about the future. They are more likely, I believe, to respond to opportunities as they arise. 2) After doing the planning, a larger number of respondents expect to involve other people in the development of their plans. 3) Many of the respondents did not have any personal strategic plan prepared before they did the one in this class. 4) A large majority of the respondents were impacted by the planning process. They either changed their plans, took specific actions, or changed their approach to planning overall. 5) The course and plan development altered many individuals view of their plan and planning.