Plan Now or Pay Later
“Failing to plan is planning to fail.” – Alan Lakein
Ready. Shoot. Aim. This is the way we usually start most of our initiatives. There are many benefits to getting moving, getting the blood flowing and getting excited about accomplishing things. However, there is an old saying: “People who work hard and keep their nose to the grindstone end up with a short nose.” Given the fact that we don’t often see beyond the length of our nose, we are not going to see too far.
The other side of the planning issue is that if we spend all of our time planning and not executing, we will never get anything done. So with respect to the planning/executing equation we are faced with creating balance. Some people are good at planning and some are good at execution, but we can all improve in both areas if we work at it. The bottom line for this discussion? The only good plan is one that can be executed.
“Plans are nothing; planning is everything.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
For what do we Plan?
Starting at the personal level, here are some areas where we can all use better planning skills:
- Planning the next or current day
- Planning any outing or excursion that takes us away from our day-to-day obligations
- Planning the next week—meals, driving kids to and from activities, wardrobe, entertainment etc.
- Planning the next month—appointments, deliverables, deadlines, new endeavors etc.
- Planning the next year—financial goals, expertise gained, targeted weight, etc.
“Let our advance worrying become advance thinking and planning.” – Winston Churchill
Why do we Plan?
One reason we plan is to increase the likelihood of achieving our objectives. It is frustrating to waste time and spin our wheels and not get stuff done. Wasting time means we accomplish less and fret more. There is a sense of defeat we carry around when we don’t achieve our targeted goals. Therefore, one important reason for planning is to be successful and have that “W” (Win) we all crave. A good plan, well executed, delivers a strong sense of accomplishment.
Another reason we plan is to minimize anxiety and uncertainty. While a lot of things have to come together to enable us to achieve an objective (there are many moving parts and contingencies typically), it is infinitely more difficult to maintain a bunch of project details in our heads. By employing the basics of project management – organizing required actions and their sequencing in a spread sheet, for example, we remove the churn from our brain. We can walk away from the details knowing that we can come back to the plan and pick up where we last left off at any time.
With respect to more involved business and personal projects, a third reason that we plan is to delegate and assign responsibility and keep track of it. In almost any endeavor of any significance more than one person is responsible for delivering some important step in the process of achieving any objective. In effect there will be many moveable parts in the machine that delivers the results. The pieces have to move forward in the proper sequence in order to finish the assignment. A good way to look at it is that there is a team involved in complex effort and each member of the team has to know their role, when they will be on stage and what they have to provide. If you don’t think about your team before you begin the project you will end up very frustrated during the course of your project and delay the time of completion significantly.
Finally, another reason to plan is to be more effective (i.e. get it done) and more efficient (i.e. invest less time and money). Getting stuck because of unanticipated details slows everything down and often kills the excitement associated with working on and completing a high-payoff activity. In many endeavors involving a lot of participants, people might be ready to kill one another if the leader of the project does not have his or her act together. A project plan, which evidences a commitment to sound planning, enables everyone to sing, in harmony, the same song.
“Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” – Gloria Steinem
Bring your Senses and Emotions to the Party
Can you see the results of your plan? Do you hear what people are saying after the project is completed successfully? What does success taste like? What do you feel like after a job well done? How do those feelings compare with a project that fails?
I would imagine that every individual who looks forward to a successful project outcome would experience different senses and emotions. However, it is extremely helpful to your planning to anticipate and invoke the passion of success as you design your mission. A powerful vision of the tangible benefits of success often keeps people going in times when goal attainment seems elusive. All important endeavors have their highs and lows. Given that fact, what will sustain the momentum of your venture throughout the journey? Two things come to mind: the shining light at the end of the tunnel and a realistic plan to get there.
Typically plans are regarded as left brain activity and when it comes to many of the details of planning and the plan, traditional analytical and problem solving skills play an important part. However, the plan can be built to incorporate the emotional side as well. How? Get there by asking the question: “Guys, what is this going to feel like when we are done?” I think you can literally run through the five senses and throw in positive emotional states such as joy, happiness, euphoria, etc. as part of your front end questioning. Be prepared to introduce at the beginning of the project a view of what success means to you as the leader. Also, let the major players have their voice so as to evaluate their sense of excitement for the project. Sure, some will express their thoughts and feelings better but it is important to hear from all project participants. By building up that vision of success the right part of your team’s brain will have a seat at the table and may make the difference in notching up the quality of the work.
“Good planning is important. I've also regarded a sense of humor as one of the most important things on a big expedition. When you're in a difficult or dangerous situation, or when you're depressed about the chances of success, someone who can make you laugh eases the tension.” – Edmund Hillary
Have Fun
Oftentimes our concept of work inspires thoughts of burden, anxiety and torture. This is unfortunate – especially since we spend so much time doing our jobs and working away at things in our private life. But who says we can’t enjoy our tasks? Why can’t we factor fun into our project plans? I am sure if you ask yourself and your team members how to have fun during the next project, you will come up with some interesting ideas. Maybe you can appoint a team jester for part or all of the project’s duration. The fun piece eases the tension but can also strengthen the team’s commitment to the project and to each other. Building enjoyment into the work eases resistance and supports people to go with the flow and achieve successful outcomes.
And, there is more, there always is.
Be genuine.
Copyright 2014 © John J. Trakselis, Chicago CEO Coaching
Join the Discussion
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