7 Ways to Make Plans That Work

The thing I hate about planning is the feeling that something is getting done. Planning is talking, not doing.

A collective sigh of relief at the end of planning sessions predicts disaster.

Read: Are You Falling into a Planning Trap?

7 Ways to Make Plans that Work

1. Plans don’t work, people do.

Plans are about people. Where can your team take you? Don’t plan a trip across the Sahara when you have a group of go-carts on the team.

Everyone has something to do when planning meetings are done.

2. Planning isn’t an event.

You plan a disaster if you rely on plans made annually. When circumstances change, plans must adapt. Are you in a volatile situation? Choose long-term mission – make short-term plans.

Course adjustments reflect agility, not failure.

3. Focus on opportunities.

Avoid the pull of problems. Teams move backwards when problems control plans. How can you seize opportunities?

4. Build on past performance.

Look to the past before looking to the future. The things that didn’t work in the past won’t magically start working this time.

Repeating failed plans isn’t grit.

5. Know the reason.

The reason to plan is to create or keep customers. Peter Drucker wrote, “The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer. The business enterprise has two – and only two – basic functions: marketing and innovation… All the rest are costs.”

6. Focus on behaviors.

Any fool can set goals. The real question is: What will you do to accomplish them?

Progress is an illusion without clear behaviors. If you can’t describe the behaviors that get you there, what makes you think you’re going anywhere?

Short-term plans distill into behaviors.

7. Schedule celebration points.

When will you recognize hard work, lessons learned, progress, and great results?

Tip: Never let people who aren’t doing the work make all the plans.

What makes plans work?

This article was originally published on Leadership Freak.

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