A Leader Must DO

There's nothing worse than a planning leader. You know the type: they sketch the plan, get consensus about the plan, plan some updates about the plan, present the plan, talk about the plan. Let's see if anyone has done similar plans before, shall we?

Ugh.

Do. Done. Did it Work?

There's a great method. Start with a small sketch of a plan. Smash it against the reality. Adjust. Circulate the new acting plan. Do some more.

Yoda, baby. He knew. "Do." So did Mike Tyson: "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth."

Okay, okay. Don't get your gantt charts in a bunch. Yes, you have to plan, but a plan should be like 5-10%. That old Abe Lincoln bit about sharpening the saw? He didn't mean planning. He meant improving his capabilities so he could execute more.

I used to be a project manager, a so-so one. But I developed a specialty. I was the one who could take a messy (sometimes doomed) project and turn it around and land it relatively on time. The secret was all in dragging people through very practical explanations of execution, checking in with everyone a lot, and keeping everyone who needed to know about the project informed until it was completed. It was execution-heavy.

Make the Plan the "Opening Credits"

Star Wars has that scroll at the beginning that catches you up as to what's going on. It's brief. Then, the action starts.

In situations where the actions of a plan are important and not potentially devastating, I think this is the right level of planning (brief and then jump in to see what works and what doesn't). If we're talking surgery, a new brand, something massive, then sure, plan more. But try to make the "plan" phase 5% or less of the full project. Maybe 10% total for "re-plan" or as I call it above, "Did it work?"

What's Your Experience?

Have you met the planboss? What's your personal level of plan-to-do? Am I wrong?

Chris...