“The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft a-gley.”

–Robert Burns, “To a Mouse”

Is the language in this excerpt archaic? Yep. Are there mice in your organization? We certainly hope not.

Verbiage and rodents aside, Burns’ message is timeless and universal:

Regardless of your organization’s size, industry, competition or market, the best-laid plans often go awry.

Great leaders realize this – and plan accordingly. What are their secrets to successful business planning? To find out, let’s examine two aspects of planning which frequently “gang a-gley” for other organizations:

Ignoring the Big Picture

Too often, leaders plan from the inside out: they review their organization’s performance over the past year and look for opportunities to tweak processes and make incremental improvements. By looking backward and inward, these leaders are being reactive and tactical.

High-performance leaders view their organizations through a strategic, forward-looking lens. When planning, they think beyond their own business, considering the ways the economy, competition, industry trends, customers, technological advancements and other external factors could impact them. By taking this “Outside in” approach, these leaders better understand the dynamics, relationships, threats and opportunities around them. Over the long-term, deeper insights help the best leaders create more strategic, flexible and realistic plans.

Failing to Prioritize

Most organizations have a list of business goals, but a list will only take leaders so far. Without clear prioritization – and a method for communicating and cascading those priorities – a list of goals is worth little more than the paper on which it’s printed.

Great leaders’ plans do more than just outline the steps to achieving a goal; they clearly prioritize the actions which will accomplish those objectives. What’s more, that prioritization is pushed down through the entire organization by:

• “connecting the dots” (i.e., clearly explaining how individuals’ daily actions help achieve high-priority goals for the entire company);
• ensuring that performance management and reward/recognition models align with delivering on key priorities;
• making sure that all employees have the resources (i.e., time, tools, training and authority) to perform successfully.

Plans Changed?

We can help you adapt and thrive. With a full complement of national staffing and placement solutions, the Exact Staff family of companies offers the resources and expertise to effectively execute your business plans, even when things change in your organization. To learn how we can help, schedule a free consultation today.