“Since you feel so strongly about this part of the planning process, tell me more about your musing?” I asked.

“Some people get stumped by starting on the wrong foot,” Lauren explained. “They sit and try to think of all the things they could do. My problem is that, as fast as I can think of something I could do, I can also think of about five reasons why it’s not possible.”

“Yes,” I replied. “One of your strengths is to anticipate obstacles before they occur, so we can take evasive action early. Tell me how you keep your mind from killing your ideas before they can take off. It must be a struggle.”

“That’s the thing. I don’t struggle. I just skip it,” she continued.

“Skip it?”

“Instead of trying to figure out what I could do, I just skip to the end, to where I have already completed the goal. And with that goal already accomplished, I simply imagine the world, then. And as I imagine, I ask myself if that is the world I intended to create?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

Lauren was in a good mood. “I mean, I don’t think planning begins with setting goals. I think there is a lot that comes before, and for me it’s the best part. Setting goals is very specific. It takes work to set out precisely what we intend to accomplish. Before that, I like to muse.”

“Is that a management term, muse?”

“Not really. I think it has to do with vision, but I like the word muse. It is truly an exercise in imagination. And if I take it too seriously, it takes all the fun out of it. What do I think next year will bring? And in that environment, what do I intend to make happen?”

“Is this an exercise in solitude?”

Lauren stopped to think, “In the beginning, yes. Before we begin a discussion, with my team, it’s just me. At the same time, I encourage my team to be thinking the same way. Go someplace quiet and just think for a while. What do I intend to make happen?“

“So, you’re not thinking about the holidays?” I observed, Lauren staring into space.

“How did you know?” she replied.

“You were looking further out.”

“Yes, I was just thinking this has been a tough year, and I am thinking next year will be better. The holidays are nice, with family and friends, but it’s also the time of year where I relax and let my imagination run a little bit. I get to spend time, especially after Christmas, thinking about the new year. If I wrote it down, it would be called planning.”

“You don’t write down your thoughts?”

Lauren smiled. “Yes, I actually do, but that’s not the part I am thinking about today.”

Even my economists (the only people I trust) are describing the bottom of this market. The recovery is set to begin over the next few months. Things will begin to improve.

“We are on the verge of an end to a historic decline in the housing market. The window of opportunity regarding when to act begins now.” Ecotrends.

It is time to remake, but this is different. The old times will not be restored. These are new times. I have been reading an article called The New Normal. Not for what it says but for its central question.

What is the New Normal?

Facilities lay idle, some abandoned. Waste has been squeezed out of capacity. We watch our friends receive pink slips, compensation frozen in time.

But the signs of spring begin to sprout if you will notice. For some, it will continue to look like nuclear winter. But we will survive. But we will be different.

What is your New Normal?

From Working Leadership Online on the subject of Planning.

Question:
I see the guidelines for creating a vision, but it seems a little far-fetched. Actually, I think most vision statements are far-fetched. They are too vague, or too warm and fuzzy. They describe a world that doesn’t exist.

Response:
Exactly, a world that doesn’t exist. Planning is about creating the future. And you are right, most vision statements are too vague. A vision statement should describe a specific point in time and should be detailed, rather than vague. Whenever I write a plan, my vision statement is often the longest part of the whole plan. It is detailed in its description of how things look and how things work. The more descriptive the vision, the easier the rest of planning steps flow.

“That fixes accountability between you and your team, but who will I hold accountable for the Goal?”

Gordon nodded and smiled. “Me,” he said quietly.

“Even if the reason we didn’t achieve the Goal was a defect in the team’s Action Plan?”

Gordon was catching on. “Yes, as the Manager, even though the team comes up with the Action Plan, I have to approve it. And, as the manager, if there is a defect in the Plan, a missing step or an overlooked contingency, it is my responsibility to challenge the team until the Plan is one that will work.”

“This takes time, and often, we have go slow now, so we can go fast later.”

“Something else important happens, when your team creates the Action Plan,” I continued.

Gordon was listening.

“You set the Performance Standards. But if you also create the Action Plan, and the Plan fails, between you and the team, who is accountable? The team comes back and says, -Yes, boss, we did exactly what you said and your Action Plan failed. Not our fault.”

Gordon was still listening.

“Or, you set the Performance Standards. And the team creates the Action Plan. And, now, if the Action Plan fails, between you and the team, who is accountable?”

“You have a team meeting,” I describe. “Someone has to talk and it’s not you, because no one listens to you. So, who talks?”

“My team?” Gordon answered slowly.

“Yes,” I nodded. “You describe the essence of the Vision and the Performance Standards. The team sets out the Action Plan.”

“But my team may not know what steps to take and besides, it will take too long to get them all to agree,” Gordon protested.

I nodded and smiled. “I didn’t say that your team would get there quickly. Sometimes you have to go slow now, so you can go fast later. You need your team, involved, engaged, thinking, solving problems and making decisions. You are not going to get there by telling them what to do.”

Gordon was skeptical, “But, what if I am not getting what I want?”

“If you are not getting what you want, then you are asking the wrong questions.” -TF

“Okay, here is what I want to happen,” Gordon explained. His description was thorough. He painted a good picture.

“I can see your vision,” I replied. “How do your people see this?”

“That’s the problem. I think I explained it well, in the memo I sent out, but they don’t seem to get it. For some of my team, I don’t even think they read it, and I get a little heartburn from that.”

“So, you haven’t figured it out, yet?” I asked.

“Figured what out?” Gordon’s head tilted.

“As interesting as I think I am, I finally figured it out. Nobody listens to me. As interesting as you think you are, nobody listens to you.”

“But, I’m the boss! They have to listen to me.”

“Gordon, you have a kid at home, right? Do you, as the parent, have the authority, at dinner, to demand that broccoli be eaten?”

Gordon sat up. “Well, yes I do.”

“But your kid has the power to determine whether broccoli will, in fact, be eaten.”
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There’s a lot of valuable information in this course that isn’t easily available elsewhere, and the coaching from Tom in addition to accountability for actually carrying out the assignments makes for a solid learning experience. Keep up the good work. The online format makes the course accessible, and makes it easy to put into practice directly in a work environment. -Erik LaBianca

Working Leadership Online, register now.
Mar 16 – Planning – Creating the Future
Apr 6 – Delegation – Ultimate Leverage
Apr 27 – Control Systems and Feedback Loops

From Working Leadership Online:

Question:
You said the first step in planning is NOT goal setting. But when we plan, we sit around the table and set goals. What did we miss?

Response:
The biggest problem in planning is the “shoot from the hip” goal setting exercise. Setting goals are important, and there are two critical steps that come first.

In my younger days, my alarm would go off at 3:30a. In a groggy stupor, I would sit up and reach for the clock. Something kept me from sailing it across the room. Something kept me moving, out of bed, lacing my shoes for a 15 mile run to the beach and back. It was NOT the goal of running 15 miles. In fact, the thought of running 15 miles at 3:30a was about as negative as I could think.

I was training for a marathon. And the one thing that moved me forward was NOT the goal of 15 miles for the day, not even the goal of completing the marathon. The only thing that moved me forward was the vision of me, crossing the finish line.

The first step in the planning process is to create a clear and compelling vision. It is the only tool, for the manager, to paint a picture of the future, to create enthusiasm and excitement in the team to go forward.

Yes, I was quite dapper, hair in the wind, tape across my chest, crowd cheering me on, slim in my running togs. Shoes laced, out the door, training for a marathon. The first step in planning is to create a clear and compelling vision. -TF
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Working Leadership Online, register now.
Mar 16 – Planning – Creating the Future
Apr 6 – Delegation – Ultimate Leverage
Apr 27 – Control Systems and Feedback Loops