It Is Time For Resolutions And Strategic Planning

Strategic Planning Is Good When It Works

Seven Super Revenue Solutions.  This title sounds like a slogan.  As a title, it almost fits well as a government acronym.  Try this partial acronym for Seven Super Revenue Solutions....Double S & R Solutions (SSRS)!  During an annual strategic planning session this could turn out to be one of the best "new" company programs.  I am serious.  I have seen the silliest programs come out of some of the most serious 'annual retreat' sessions large companies have produced.

This time of year is traditionally the time of year when business models work on resolutions or strategic planning for the coming year.  It is the time of year when volume activity is typically low, employee spirits are damped a little bit as they exit the family and 'holiday-up-spirited' seasons and last years' irritations are beginning to mold on the edges of your business model.  It becomes the favorite season for planning.

Two choices of planning exist.  One, resolutions.  Two, strategically moderated group planning sessions.

Resolutions are the most manageable method smaller companies exercise to help re-direct the critical work they need to be doing for the coming new year.  Smaller companies do not need to act like large corporate engines when it comes to this type of planning.  Many smaller companies are lead by a single owner.  The owner has a small contingency of important followers they employ.  That is usually it.  The rest of what those smaller businesses try do in the coming year is to meld as many dissident employees into the company fold as is tolerable.  Any small company who becomes bone honest about this fact recognizes this process.

Owners must work hard on capturing this truth about their business leadership.  Owners must accept the real level of leadership they have so far managed with their current employment and staff.  Once this truth has been recognized, exposed and accepted for the specific level of leadership that is genuine, effective work on realistic resolutions can be achieved.  Any other resolution work is, and has in the past, proven to be a waste of time.  In the smaller companies, work your resolutions within the parameters of what your employment will truly support.  Anything outside of that truth will fail to materialize in the coming year.  The 'new' ideas will drift along in the mind of the owner and remain untapped in the marketplace of your business model.  Practicing this type of planning will add damage to any leadership an owner may have in place.

Be realistic in your resolution process.  Set up smaller, more effective resolutions for the coming year.  You will find greater success in how the staff will approach the challenges you prefer to repair.  Good luck, get going.

For those who plan to plan well...here are some steps to protect.

Better Brainstorming Is Not Easy Work!

If you believe you are a larger company and need to pull your leaders together you may want to arrange a day or two to perform some 'moderated' strategic planning.  These types of arrangements can also become a total waste of time.  Many companies do not gain much from these sessions except to feel good about being able to act like a larger company.  Brainstorming properly is hard work.

If you are a bigger company, be careful as well.  Strategic planning sessions are not designed to allow stronger leaders to dominate personal and private agendas.  Strategic planning sessions are not designed to permit various leaders a chance to feed their egos as they become contributors to some form of a popularity contest.  Strategic planning sessions are not designed to become competitive arenas vying for corporate dollars.  Narrow your specific reason for doing a session on strategic planning.  Keep it very tight.  Do not allow tangents and commercials to co-exist with the process.  Find a single reason to be excited about how the session was completed.  Look to the end before you engage in the start.

Some Ideas Are Time Perfect.

If the process is promoted properly, it will generate an 'In-A-Hurry' attitude.  Most group sessions get bogged down with some natural forms of paralysis.  Do not be too quick to funnel good ideas away from discussion, but be sharp enough to 'see' the difference between reality and possible.  Promote a 'good' reaching process while at the same time avoid getting too caught up with 'how to.'  Remember to refrain from making the discovery of good ideas a contest.  Egos will get wrapped up with the wrong kind of motivation.  There are only 7 ounces to Spam.  Spam sells very well.  Some really good ideas have little meaning at a brainstorming session.  Those ideas need attention.  Be able to recognize little ideas as becoming potential success stories.  Every idea that is adopted does not need to be grandiose in nature for it to become a bread winner.  Be able to sift through the work and find those small improvements that help your business win big.  So many times a strategic session feels like it needs to find the next big discovery.  Hogwash.  Strategic sessions are more effective when they bring the business model down a more successful path.  Take smaller bites and accept little suggestions for relative and needed improvements.   Your new year will feel better for the results you found more workable in the session you managed correctly.  Do not allow strategic planning sessions to get funky.  Do not burn flags, throw fish, set off fireworks or pass out tokens.  Work on good work.

Some Leaders Are Determined To Impede

One more thing...be fully aware of "nay-sayers" in the group.  These negative pieces are useful to a point.  Check and balances are always a welcomed component to any planning session.  Make sure the planning process does not become a bitch session of what types of things the company cannot do in the coming year.  Most planners and leaders will be able to avoid this type of work.  If the room is filled with thumbs down participants the planning work will become a blemish of time marked on a calendar as another piece for wasting time.  I have witnessed many a bruised ego in the strategic planning process.  Be careful, be smart, work hard.

Until next time...plan away!