"The wise man bridges the gap by laying out the path by means of which he can get from where he is to where he wants to go." John Pierpont Morgan
In those 28 words JP Morgan summarized the role of planning. While all good plans describe what an organization will do their primary function is to show the path the company will follow to achieve its goals.
Yes! Everyone is capable of having a good, even great idea. The reason most of them never develop into the next big thing is planning. It's a tricky balance (one I'm working hard on myself), keeping focused on the idea, but at the same time figuring out the plan to get there. And that includes figuring out plans on many levels, sort of a multi-dimensional idea. There's the great idea out there in the ether, the long-range plans, more mid-range, all the way down to "what 5 things do I need to do this week?"
ReplyDeleteWe're all more comfortable in one area or another. Personally, since it's my idea, I'm most comfortable with the big ideas, way out in the future. It's more of an effort for me to focus on the day-to-day tasks of moving my business forward. But without all the small steps, my great idea will become just like thousands of others - just a good idea someone once had.
I remember when I started what became The Verity Group my "plan" was clear to me; almost too much so in that it took me awhile to figure out what I intended to do wasn't working while something else I hadn't intended was.
ReplyDeleteFortunately I ultimately did see this, made changes to the plan and enjoyed considerably more success than I would have had I stayed on the original course.
Which leads to the first rule of planning. They are all wrong. Plans are living documents and need to be amended as new information comes to light. Do that and you will make planning work for you rather than against you.