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Complimentary Behavioral Assessment
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Behavioral Assessments are the first step toward personal and organizational improvement.
Contact us today to request a complimentary behavioral assessment.
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ASK THE EXPERT - How Are You Thinking? |
| September 29th, 2010 02:47:51 pm |
IT’S SHOCKING! October is upon us…and with it, the final quarter of the year! In January we start the second decade of the new millennium! Whoa Nellie! Time is moving way too fast.
Soon Halloween, Thanksgiving, Black Friday and only 11 weeks to Christmas begin to fill up our schedules and our thinking.
Fall is a great time to be reflective. It is a time to contemplate the new decade, what new adventures it will bring; challenges, joys, sorrows and so on. In our businesses it is the time to be thinking strategically. We need to reflect on what we have accomplished and what needs to be done to guarantee continued viability and growth.
I thought this month would be a great time to ask our readers for some strategic planning ideas. Each of us approaches this topic in different ways, but there are some standard questions that need to be asked:
- When should you plan?
- Who should be involved?
- How should you proceed? What is the process to follow?
- Will you use a professional facilitator to maximize the time you spend in planning?
- Who will document the vision, mission, goals and measurements to ensure accurate implementation of the plan?
We look forward to your responses and will provide feedback, based on our 18 years of providing strategic planning services to scores of organizations.
Will 2011 be a trick or treat year for your business? |
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Comments on this blog
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Friday, October 1st 2010 by JoLynn Groening
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Planning can and should be done annually as well as on an as-needed basis all year. Plans need to be modified as the financial, economic, staffing and legal situations change and these changes can arise/change rapidly at times. Also, the goals of the business itself can change. Therefore, for the head of the business, planning should be on ongoing process.
Setting long range goals and business planning is a talent as well as a developed skill. If you are good at setting short and long range goals you are good at it. If you are not I would assume it takes a lot of training to make it a learned skill and become good at it.
It is my practice to consult others when making decisions and setting goals. Frequently it will be an accountant, personal research or, in the case of large organizations, multiple qualified persons via a meeting.
Along with goal setting it helps to have excellent financial management skills as frequently goals go hand in hand with the money/profitability concerns of a business.
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Monday, October 4th 2010 by Jerry
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JoLynn:
Great remarks, and to all of our readers, read what JoLynn had to say at least twice. It is critical that strategy and planning be flexible. When business conditions change, it is time to revisit the plan to see if the change is temporary, or a paradigm shift that has become necessary. KEEP THE COMMENTS COMING!
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Wednesday, October 13th 2010 by Ginny McMinn
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I do planning for my business visually. I set aside time to plan, assemble my flip chart and colored markers, review the assorted notes I've thrown in the "Ideas" file, and then start. Sometimes it takes one chart; sometimes I have to refine it several times. Either way, it is this chart that helps me to visualize what I want to do.
From this chart, I write lists of "things I need from others", "delegate", and "NOW" action items. And then we begin to work the plan. My company is small, so others are involved in the discussion before I pull it all together, and as we start to implement. I can return to the chart to create another round of lists; in the meantime, I keep it posted as a means of staying focused on what it is we're working toward.
This may not be the planning process for everyone; but it works for me.
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Thursday, October 14th 2010 by jerry
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Ginny:
Sometimes simple is best! The point is to do something to force you to think about the game plan for the future and to refer to it often to keep yourself focused. Thanks for the input!
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