Completing your Annual plan does not mean you’re finished. I t means you’re just beginning and if you don’t keep it alive, it will be DOA.
[pullquote]In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable. ~Dwight Eisenhower[/pullquote]
Eisenhower’s message that plans are worthless but planning is essential strikes a chord we all can embrace.
The word “planning” may strike fear into your heart as it does for so many who hear that word, but successful executives who work hard for personal and professional growth embrace the Eisenhower mantra.
[quote style=”boxed”]The key to victory means getting up one more time than you fall.[/quote]
Is Your 2018+ Plan Ready?
You’re aware that the commencement address only comes at the end of your school experience … NOT the beginning?
Likewise, your 2018 plan is just the starting line … and the work is just beginning.
If your Plan is just Credenza Food, use the Garbage Disposal
Your plan shouldn’t be carved in stone, but it must be ALIVE and WELL and LIVING on your desktop – not serving time as credenza food sitting behind your desk.
There is no perfect plan – no magic formula – no plan that doesn’t need to be constantly fine-tuned and adjusted.
If nothing else, use your regular review time for this explicit purpose:
Make sure you … AND your organization … are spending 80% of your time on the things that count
NOT 80% of your time on non mission-critical activity.
The simplest analogy I know is planning a car trip across the country.
You know exactly where you want to go, on what timetable and within what budget.
Yet, you also know there will be a rock slide, a snowfall, roads under construction, car troubles … it’s a long list … that will require you to adjust your schedule.
You wouldn’t start …
- without a roadmap,
- money for food, gas and unexpected expenses,
- a suitcase with clothes for different weather conditions …
and probably a lot more … including a little extra time if something goes south on you.
You know unexpected things are going to happen but you’d still keep heading to your original destination … wouldn’t you?
Spend some structured time to regularly monitor your 2018 Plan
Here’s a phrase you’ve probably heard often … and it’s undeniably true:
[quote style=”boxed”]No plan survives contact with the enemy[/quote]
If it isn’t ALIVE and WELL and LIVING on your desktop, you’re going to get your butt kicked.
Remember. Your plan is simply a roadmap to guide your organization.
It’s the lighthouse to keep you from hitting the rocks but only if you’re constantly looking at it … seeing it through your windshield and not in the rear view mirror.
Make sure you’ve created a living Action Plan that will survive its first contact with the enemy.
Then, you’ve got a fighting chance!
Question: How often will you review your 2018 Action Plan? Why not join the conversation and share your thoughts and comments? You can add your message easily by clicking the link to our Facebook Page or @Exkalibur on Twitter. I visit them every day and look forward to discussing these ideas and concepts with you.