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Most often, toward the latter part of the summer, many businesses begin to look at their business positions and initiate some degree of focus on ending the year successfully and thinking about planning for the New Year. This presents a challenge because the harsh reality is that most businesses simply do not plan or they do not plan effectively. And the truth is, one cannot effectively build a business without a viable, workable, applicable business plan. Success comes from knowing what constitutes a winning plan and then what must be done to insure that the plan brings the results that are needed.
So, what is required for a “winning plan” to be developed; and, what must be done to insure that the plan has an opportunity to achieve the results the framer intended? Over the next few weeks I’ll share 7 attributes of a winning plan.
The first attribute of a winning plan: it gives the individual or company a clear picture of where they are and where they are going. It provides insight into whether or not an action, a market, or a particular focus might hold validity. It allows for the individual or company to be able to understand what they are building; why it is being built; what will be measured; how will the results enable the company to continue to grow and develop; and, what specific actions must be taken and by whom if the plan is to be successful.
In essence it is a credible assembly of vision, mission, objectives, strategies and action plans. Though these descriptors are not necessarily a new understanding to those in business, however these simple categories carry the very life breathe of business success or shortfall. Even baseball’s Hall of Fame and New York Yankee’s legendary player Yogi Berra knew about its value when he said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you could wind up someplace else.”
Understanding the framework of planning first at least insures that you will begin on the right road toward your goals.
Next week we’ll look at the Second Attribute of a winning plan.
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