| Like most people we have plans for our | | | | expectations. Sound familiar? Yeah no |
| businesses. Strategic plans, budgets, | | | | wonder HBR has articles stating |
| succession plans and the like. The real | | | | corporations typically achieve between |
| question is do you have a plan for your | | | | 30 and 60 percent of their planned |
| life? | | | | financial results! Executives typically |
| I have thought about this time and again | | | | cannott wait to get back to their comfy |
| meeting and working with executives who | | | | corner offices and fight the fires they |
| have taken on new roles in their | | | | have become accustomed to. It is |
| organization or taken on a new role in | | | | ingrained in them. That is what they |
| another organization. They plan. They | | | | think get paid for. |
| spend hours and days planning. They plan | | | | Nope. You are wrong. You get paid to |
| with others and they plan on their own. | | | | execute the strategy. How much time do |
| They plan the business from top to | | | | you spend on that? How do you tie that |
| bottom. Then they unleash the behemoth | | | | to your own goals and strategies for |
| on the company. We wont go into the | | | | your life in all of this? Do you have a |
| success or otherwise of this exercise | | | | life in all of this? |
| today. | | | | This is actually where the rubber hits |
| The one thing they dont consider is | | | | the road for executives. Most fail to |
| planning for themselves. Planning their | | | | recognize this. You need to look at what |
| lives. Now I am not a life coach or | | | | you are expected to do and figure out |
| therapist but youd think that some where | | | | how you do it and have a life. |
| along the way they would have figured | | | | It is not that difficult. Just not done |
| out they needed a plan for their own | | | | too often. Here is my approach. |
| actions. I say actions because a plan is | | | | Sit down with a pen and paper not your |
| pretty useless unless its acted on. | | | | PC. You need to think and doodle a bit. |
| People often have goals. Woopee. Setting | | | | Ask yourself what were you really proud |
| goals has become the thing to do in | | | | of achieving last year? |
| business today. People will sell you | | | | On the work front and non work front |
| courses on setting goals. People will | | | | what was great and downright awesome? |
| coach you in setting goals. HR folks | | | | What did you really foul up last year? |
| chase you down until youve filled in | | | | Things that youd gladly never hear about |
| their form, decided on a set of goals | | | | again. Gotta be a few things |
| and had them signed off. | | | | So if you look at those two lists, what |
| Wonderful. The problem with setting | | | | can you learn from them? |
| goals for a person is there is often no | | | | From the good and the bad. Yes we often |
| basis on what to set goals for. OK lose | | | | learn more from our failures than |
| weight, increase my salary, win an | | | | successes. |
| promotion etc. Well what do you base | | | | List those learnings. |
| these goals on? I have seen business | | | | Be proactive, stand up for myself, voice |
| coaches, trainers and HR folk giving | | | | my opinions, keep quiet until I know all |
| people a form and saying give me your | | | | the facts, etc. |
| goals for this year. Guess what? | | | | Write three of them as life lessons for |
| Whatever is written down is hooey and | | | | the way you would like to be this coming |
| will never do a thing for anybody. All | | | | year. |
| it did was place a check mark in a box. | | | | Be powerful, positive, in the present |
| Listed goals. Good boy, Sit. | | | | and very personal. |
| Having said all that, its actually vital | | | | List three values you associate yourself |
| that you do in fact have goals but its | | | | with having |
| the process of getting you there thats | | | | Decide what roles you have to |
| going to make the difference between a | | | | participate in this year. |
| basic exercise and you actually | | | | As in be a Board member, CEO, boss, |
| achieving them. | | | | friend, mom, dad, etc |
| So what does that mean? | | | | Then which is your role of prime |
| Well in business strategy we may follow | | | | importance for the coming year |
| the time honored a SWOT analysis or | | | | Write three goals for each role you |
| Porter Analysis and budgets. We may even | | | | selected. Or more |
| be more creative, who knows. The fact of | | | | You should have about 25 of them. |
| the matter is there are tools and | | | | Select your top ten |
| programs designed to help this. We take | | | | Write them as SMART as you can. Specific |
| the top team off to a great resort spend | | | | Measurable Achievable Realistic and Time |
| a few days whip a plan into shape, often | | | | Specific (next year). This can be a |
| with the help of some expensive suited | | | | topic of a whole article. Goals are |
| consultant. Send off to the financial | | | | usually very poorly written. Write yours |
| guys to model, make spreadsheets that | | | | up and e-mail me for some critique! |
| cant be interpreted but look as if some | | | | Put it all on a single page use |
| real thought went into the whole | | | | abbreviations if necessary |
| process. Jazz it up and get the Board to | | | | Write up action plans for each. Set |
| support it. | | | | intermediate validation points and a |
| As professionals what do we do? What is | | | | time table. Check it weekly and monthly. |
| our role in this whole caboodle? Yeah we | | | | Go out and achieve personal; and |
| sat through the weekend, played a few | | | | corporate success |
| rounds of golf and swore blind this was | | | | Sound intimidating? It should not be. |
| the year we wouldd exceed all | | | | |