Full Focus Limited
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Takapuna, Auckland
t: 09 489 1650
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David Martin: 0274 902 401
Kathy Martin: 027 2800 564
RECENT FOCUS July 2008
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What's the problem with plans?
We all make plans .. usually lots of them. Some are just short to-do lists to complete a project or a set of task - often simple enough that we don’t even need to write them down. Others are more indepth, requiring lots more thought and sometimes outside help if they are of a strategic nature .. such as business or technical plans.
Not surprisingly, the simple plans usually get implemented fairly quickly … 
especially the plans we get a thrill out of – like planning a holiday or a dinner with friends. But what gets in the way when it’s a little more complicated? How come you can plan and even go on a holiday, yet your business plan stumbles and falters?
One of things we often hear is that people don’t have enough time. They are too busy working IN the business to work ON the business. Lack of time might sound like an excellent excuse for not implementing your (business) plan. But so what? Do you think the excuse makes any difference? If the plan’s not done at the end of the day then the result is the same – excuse or no excuse ... it doesn't get done!
Lack of time didn’t stop you planning and accomplishing your holiday did it? So why would you go to the effort (and probably cost) of creating a business plan if you’re not going to follow through? The plan isn’t going to work while it’s sitting on a shelf gathering dust.
Creating the plan isn’t the challenge, the real challenge is doing it – the follow through, the action steps. It’s the what and by whens that fall by the wayside. Lack of planning isn’t the problem, it’s the lack of doing!
What’s it going to take to keep the momentum going so that it doesn’t fizzle out at the starting blocks or halfway down the track? If you look at the holiday plan, the follow-through almost happens by default. Other sorts of plans need a different strategy to get them done … a more structured and definitive method of being achieved. Here are a few pointers to get you started:
Don’t miss out most vital part of your plan …. the making-it-happen part. If you’re not going to put a system in place to have it happen, then it’s an absolute waste of your time and money going down the planning tunnel. Don’t even bother.
But if you’re interested in your planning actually being accomplished –
Appoint an “accountability manager” – this person should keep a record of specific measurable results – things to be done “by when” and “by whom”. Make sure there are action sheets showing what’s going to happen, who’s going to do it, and when it’s going to be done by.
Ensure these “by whens” are monitored so that people actually walk their talk and do what they’ve agreed to do, in time. These follow-ups are critical to the success of your plan.
Attack your plan one bite at a time. Don’t try to accomplish it all at once. Work out
what part has the highest priority and do that first. Then find the next highest priority and do that … and so on. This will help take the “overwhelm” out of a comprehensive plan.
Appoint someone to be the champion of your plan. This could be, but doesn’t necessarily have to be, the accountability manager. The champion will make sure your plan survives, and they’ll help keep it alive in the minds of your staff (and even you!).
If you’d like more information on this topic you can click here. Or perhaps you'd like to read more about change management or coaching to help you with your planning..
Avoiding the burn-out … (from last month’s newsletter)
Following last month’s newsletter I have a smug little smile on my face because we DID take a break from the business (did you?) ... some great family time on a lovely Northland beach.
5 steps (literally) across the grass from the house to the sand, warm (yes .. warm), shorts and t-shirts some days with the kids having fun in the sea. We also had access to all our clients through the internet and mobile phones (the wonders of modern technology) ... not that we used it much! .. so we had no worries about leaving the office to itself for a while.
Highly recommended – inexpensive, relaxing and recharging.
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