2020 didn’t turn out like you planned. If this year were a road trip, you would have encountered detours, closed roads, and perhaps a few unexpected scenic overlooks along the way. You may or may not have ended up at your destination.
Does that mean that planning isn’t worthwhile? Of course not.
A plan does not guarantee you get the result you want. Planning helps you think through what you want to achieve, what you should do to reach those goals, and what obstacles you may run into as you execute your plan. Planning helps you prepare.
Dwight Eisenhower said ““In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” While most of us aren’t planning maneuvers and commanding a military like Eisenhower was, we fight our own battles – new competitors, changes in the economy or technology, and staffing issues just to name a few. Planning helps us focus our efforts and align our teams so we can be prepared for whatever comes our way.
You have to act on your plan
But you can’t stop there. Once you determine your plan, you have to act. It has been said that “you can’t plow a field simply by turning it over in your mind.” You can envision the future, but at some point you have to take action to make your plans come to fruition. You have to plan and then act on it.
Taking action and executing your plan isn’t as easy as it sounds. It is too tempting to get distracted by what FranklinCovey calls the “whirlwind” – those daily and urgent tasks of running a business. It can consume your time and your focus leaving no time and energy for growing the business and working toward your goals. Executing your plan requires a conscious effort and accountability at all levels of the organization.
To make the most out of the coming year, begin planning now. And once you finalize your plan, act on them.
OPG helps businesses create and execute their plans. Contact us or connect with us at https://linkedin.com/in/cmatt if you need assistance.
https://opalpg.com/2020/11/03/a-time-to-plan-and-a-time-to-act/
