Planning for success.

Each year January presents us with the opportunity to think big and set new objectives for the calendar year. It's the half way mark for the financial year too, so it's a wonderful chance to review our year to date performance. Over the years, I have seen many business leaders conduct great planning sessions, leaving everyone invigorated and energised, but many fail to take the next step and schedule in the activity that will action each objective. 

Goals that are left hanging mid-air with no actionable tasks assigned are simply dreams. 

The key to getting stuff done (#gsd) is planning for success. Here are some tips to help get you and your team on the right track:

• Think big. Change your viewpoint and your position. Rather than sitting at a desk and typing into the computer alone, stand up with colleagues and start writing on the walls. Posters, post it notes, whiteboards, smart boards and black boards are great ways to capture big ideas. By writing big, you can encourage big ideas to flow. I always find it's easier to think big when standing up.
• Brainstorm. Brainstorming is not a new concept. However, it can be a very powerful one. Remember to capture all ideas, don't filter them as you are discussing them. Filter and group ideas after the brainstorming has been completed.
• Change venue. Getting out of the office can encourage colleagues to open up and get focused on the task at hand. Perhaps the park or a meeting room at a function centre? By choosing a different venue, you can inspire colleagues to be truly present.
• Plan for success. Don't just take last year's performance and add 10%. This can be limiting! Take some time to really nut out what you want from this year. Don't just focus on financial performance, look at every aspect of your business.
• Add in action. This key step is quite often forgotten. Now that you have some big goals, chunk them down into bite size bits and schedule them in. I find using a whiteboard wall planner the most effective tool. I can move tasks around easily and looking at the whole year at once, I can step back and see big picture or step in to focus on one quarter, one month or one day. Here is the free download of the planner I use. Feel free to print this and use it yourself. Or better yet, take it to a signwriter and get them to make it into a whiteboard for you. 
• Assign tasks. Once you have mapped out the tasks required to achieve your goals, assign each task to a person who will take responsibility for ensuring its completion. Remember effective delegation includes responsibility, resources and empowerment.
• Review. Once you get stuck into it, come back and review your progress. This is a great way to adjust for changes in the market and changes in business. There may be some new opportunities present themselves and you want to ensure you can leverage these. I conduct ongoing informal reviews regularly and a more formal review every 6 months. At this point, I change the wall planner so I can always see 1 year ahead.

Of all the clients I have worked with over the years, the most successful are those who execute their plans fully. You can develop really clever ambitious plans, but if you don't get execute the tasks, they will never come to life. 

Be brave.

#gsd

Good luck! Drop me a line, and let me know how you're planning for success this year.