It’s time to make a plan. A Prussian General said, “No plan survives first contact with the enemy,” Mike Tyson said, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” General Eisenhower said, “Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.”
I say this: we plan and set goals to guide the direction of our actions because it is in the process that, as individuals and teams, we become knowledgeable of the terrain, resources, challenges, and possibilities we will encounter.
Two weeks ago, I spoke about how to do an annual after-action review, AAR. Following that process, we have lessons that indicate changes we need to make. Nonetheless, this is a strategic plan, so we need to consider the four strategic planning questions.
1. What is our vision and end state, and on what goals will we measure our progress? 2. What is our chosen field of battle? 3. On that field, what is our bid for success, and how will we maneuver in defeating our competition? 4. What systems and capabilities do we need to win?
Considering our lessons learned from the AAR, set your goals regarding the four decisions: start something, reinforce something, reduce something, or stop something. Once you have your goals, prioritize them with the most significant consequence, good or bad, as Vital or A; those that you should do as important or B; and those with less impact as C. Now rank each category based on urgency, so your most Vital goal would be A1 and your most minor C something. These are strategic goals, so they will likely have plans of supporting goals.
Including leaders across the organization is essential, and it will embed the plan in their heads, so it isn’t just sitting on the shelf for a year. This process will likely take more than a day, so do it in an offsite meeting where everyone can focus without interruptions.
You still need to communicate the plan to the organization, so get started and prepare to ATTACK!
f you need help with your organization or want to learn more about leadership, sign up for my newsletter at the link below: https://connallyconsulting.com/contact Remember, “all things are possible through prayer and heavy deadlifts.”™
