Planning is a process where we are able to think with greater capacity than most of our fellow animals on this planet. Birds know to fly south when the weather gets colder and squirrels know that they need to bury some food for the same reason. Bears shut down and hibernate until the warmer days of spring. But aren't we different?
With just a few weeks left on the calendar of 2021, some organizations are attempting to plan strategically. As many of us are coping with the changes in the economic conditions locally, nationally and, in some cases, globally, we need to think differently.
It’s about being proactive rather than reactive. Planning is by definition having a vision of what might be, what could be and being prepared for varying shifts in the wind coming from either the North, East, South or West as we sail ahead.
What can we do as humans? We can establish realistic goals that can be adjusted; we can set budgets from which to work, and mechanisms for reviewing our goals, our plans at varying intervals, either weekly, monthly or quarterly. And it’s not just enough to set these goals at a senior management level but to convey these goals to everyone in the organization encouraging them to understand the roles that they play, holding them accountable to sharing positive outcomes at all levels. It’s about communication!
An effective strategic management program is linked to an effective performance management program, each one being reviewed on an ongoing basis throughout the fiscal year.
1. Reviewing your goals only at the end of the year?
2. Reviewing employee performance only at the end of the year?
3. Reviewing employee performance only for the purpose of an annual review tied to a salary increase and/or bonus?
“Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.”
- Dwight D. Eisenhower