THE greatest means to being successful or great is being future minded. It’s impossible to achieve anything worthwhile without a plan.
The failure to plan might mean the death of the future. In reality, in not planning you have already planned to fail. Some corporates and even individuals are on auto-pilot.
They just wait for fate to drop them success someday. Earl Nightingale, in his radio talks once said: “Successful people are self-made and only the successful admit it.”
All success is born out of deep thought.
As we end the year it would be ideal to do a self-audit. As a leader ask: Where Am I? What have I been doing in 2014? How where my results?
What do I need to change to improve my life, the life of others and the future of the institute? What education or self development programmes should I engage in?
As an individual ask: What is my plan of action towards my money, mind, marriage, relationships for 2015? What do I want to achieve in five years?
What do I want to have achieved in 10 years? How much worth should I be in 20 years?
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As you think about the questions above, let me help you to formulate your strategic plan.
Cut away rigidity Most institutes have the same way of doing specific things and it’s hard to tell them that their year-to-year template is no longer relevant.
In some institutes, you take a report that was written three years back there are still clauses that are still being used, but with little success.
For, example, some years back I tried to convince an organisation that they should adopt new means to retain their customer base. They told me there was a way or methodology that they were supposed to work with and they continued in their snail-pace approach.
Up to today they are using that system, but it’s unfortunate that they are on the verge of collapse. This is the case with most companies, they use template planning.
They plan, but they use the wrong methodology.
Have a pilot project Generally as we plan, we usually have short-term, mid-term and long-term plans. Before anyone takes on a long-term plan, it would be ideal to test it before they commit to it entirely.
Make a short-term action plan as a pilot programme or experimental way so as to see the possible benefits or loses. This test run tells us what works and what does not work.
Use right language The danger is that in trying to craft a strategic plan we tend to be so wide, yet will achieve little or nothing from what we are talking about. Some companies would say for example: “We want to be a world class entity in providing goods and services.”
That phrase might be so big yet very fuzzy. Have a clear idea of what you want to achieve. State specifics, have time lines and state who should do what for the plan to be a success.
Ask hard and right questions Having tabled your strategic plan as a company, you need a progressive and a probing debate on the same document.
It’s unfortunate that some leaders draft a document somewhere and shove it into the throat of employees to swallow without expecting to be questioned how realistic the plan is. Is it SMART enough? Does it bring solutions to specificities?
Make an audit Ask yourself: Where am I? At times we tend to think of ourselves what we are really not. As a company, make both an internal and external audit.
This gives you a picture of how you are perceived in the minds of people in juxtaposition to what you think of yourself. This helps to make necessary adjustments.
Be future-minded The strategic plan becomes futile, especially with leaders that are hinged on maintaining and managing systems. Life has sharp turns, twists and changes and the leader should know what to do.
As others ask the question: What? The leader asks: Why? That gives the proper answer it could to a current issue or for future encounters.
The “why- factor” liberates leaders from just doing a project because it’s their work requirement. They do it because it’s relevant and worth it.
Parting point: Thomus Edison once said: “Being busy does not mean always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing.”
For more money tips and advices go to www.successlife.co.zw, call 0772 581 918, e-mail: [email protected]
Jonah Nyoni is an author, success coach and motivational speaker.
