Guest Post
Doug Wick, Business Growth & Development Coach, Positioning Systems LLC
Is strategic planning a waste of time? Some business leaders think so. Because the world is changing so fast they refuse to invest much time in longer-term planning. Caught up in the whirlwind of everyday work, It’s easy to forget the value of strategic planning.
Even if your strategic plan will change or will only be 50% in place 3 years from now, there are still reasons to plan.
Most importantly, the strategic planning process provides clarity on how the business landscape might change. While COVID-like disruptions can’t be predicted, your organization will still be better prepared to adapt to change.
Why Executing Change Is So Hard
Any major goal requiring you to do new and different things often conflicts with the energy needed just to keep your operation going on a day-to-day basis. The whirlwind of urgent daily priorities robs you of the focus required to move your team forward.
The whirlwind isn’t necessarily bad. It keeps your organization alive, and you can’t ignore it. But if you and your front-line employees operate solely from within the whirlwind, you won’t achieve the behavioral changes required to achieve longer-term goals. All your energy will be spent just trying to stay upright in the wind.
The authors of the book “The Four Disciplines of Execution” emphasize these four activities: 1) focus, 2) leverage, 3) engagement, and 4) accountability. We help our customers improve the execution discipline they most need to develop, whether it’s establishing a clear priority, metrics to measure their progress, cash flow, or accountability.
Here are four key fundamentals from the four disciplines of execution.
1. Choose a “wildly important goal” for each year and each quarter.
What is the one important thing your company wants to accomplish within that time frame? Whatever goal you choose, be crystal-clear in explaining why the goal matters and repeat the message often. By the time you are sick of repeating the message, your employees will just be starting to pay attention to it.
2. Minimize confusion by limiting the number of goals.
Pursuing multiple goals simultaneously can make the daily whirlwind worse. Employees will be confused about which goals they are supposed to execute. And without clarity about the top priority, the whirlwind of daily activity will win. Don’t make more than 3 goals for any one time period.
3. Determine concrete actions your employees must take each week and each month to meet the goal.
How will the success of each forward step be measured and rewarded? Each employee needs to know the most impactful measurements for their position. What should they be measuring? Can they go home each day knowing that they have contributed to the benchmarks for achievements for that position and the company’s longer-term goal? That feeling helps employees stay engaged. It’s what separates the great from the good.
4. Establish a cadence of accountability to keep everyone marching toward the same outcome.
Schedule a series of brief meetings to review progress, obstacles, and resolutions to problems. Paying lip service to achieving a goal isn’t the same as having the strategic discipline to focus on making it happen. Accountability matters.
We don’t want your business to fail. Call me with any questions this post may have prompted or for a personal introduction to Doug. (561) 543-2323
Doug Wick is a business growth and development coach for mid-sized businesses. At Positioning Systems LLC, he provides the tools, knowledge and coaching business owners need to fulfill the full potential of both their business and personal lives. Doug Wick helps executive teams with strategic discipline, sales and revenue, hiring and retention, growth and change, and systems and tracking. Follow Positioning Systems LLC on LinkedIn or visit positioningsystems.com.