The goldilocks problem in planning

64% of startups have insufficiently documented their plans.?

This is based on a poll I ran last year when I held a session for about 50 CEOs of startups on how to "Unicornize" their Business Model. By far the biggest opportunity to improve was to write down their plans, based on a poll I ran in the workshop.??

On the other end of the spectrum, I find that large enterprises usually have plans that are too long without sufficient cut-through.?Many long, high quality documents, often with excellent information, but a lack of focus on the key priorities.

?Whether a large or small organization, documenting a plan is a challenge.?It reminds me of the Goldilocks problem, not too long, not too short... how to develop a plan that is "just right"?

My tip for you this week

Practice capturing your plans in a one page summary.?If it doesn't fit on one page, don't reduce the font! Instead write a denser summary: fewer words saying more.

3 benefits of one page plans:

• it forces you to have absolute clarity on what is key to success
• it is the best way to communicate to executive leaders and your board - both audiences tend to be big picture thinkers?
• eventually as you practice this skill, it will save you time (even though i know it can be harder to write something shorter than longer. By the way, ChatGPT is good at summarizing).

So your challenge when you next write a plan (or pitch or business case), write a one-pager.

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My colleague Dr Norman Chorn, strategist and future thinker, is a founding member of the OD Hive, my mastermind community. In this one minute video below, Norm reflects on how this peer mentoring group helps him refine his thinking.?He says "you don’t know what you’re thinking until you write it down”.??

See the video here.

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What's happening in the OD Hive?

In the?OD Hive?this month, our new peer mentoring groups will be exploring personal work practices to master transformation success. If you haven't yet signed up to attend a trial mastermind session for our subscription-based community, join the waitlist on my page:?OD Hive

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If you're interested in?#digitaltransformation,?#organizationaldevelopment, #businessinnovation subscribe to my personal weekly email to your inbox?here.

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About Lisa Carlin

As a scaleup mentor, Lisa works with ambitious digital leaders to turbo-charge their business, cultural and digital transformation.???You know how lonely it can be when need to make bet-the-business decisions. Each choice counts. You don’t get a second chance.?Those working with Lisa have an independent sounding board and expert advice so they have absolute confidence they WILL ACHIEVE THEIR GOAL.

Lisa is Co-Founder and Director of FutureBuilders Group of organisational development specialists, Chair of the University of Cape Town Australia Trust, and on the Advisory Board of Rebelliuz, the Tiktok for jobs. Lisa runs an Organizational Development Community exploring leading edge ideas in digital transformation, culture change and business innovation. Her early career was with Accenture (South Africa) and McKinsey (USA).