The Book and One-Page Plan That Changed How I Run Our Business

About 14 years ago, I was given the opportunity to attend a 2-day workshop in Sydney presented by a guy called Verne Harnish.

Those 2 days were transformational and this workshop had the biggest impact on my business career of any other event or seminar I have ever attended.

Verne had taken the ‘Good to Great’ philosophy developed by Jim Collins and created systems, structure and processes that any business owner looking to scale their business could follow easily.

His first book ‘Mastering the Rockefeller habits’ is still my Go To book and the second iteration of this - ‘Scaling up’ is a fantastic resource. I urge you to get Mastering the Rockefeller Habits and read it at least once a year!

There are now Certified Scaling Up Coaches here in New Zealand like Adrian Pickstock and all around the world and I have followed this methodology ever since.

The basis of this comes down to a very simple One Page Plan that covers everything from key actions over the next 90 days right up to your Company values, purpose, vision and long term goals.

Following the One Page Plan process gives you:

1. A framework that details your vision.

2. A common language with which to express that vision.

3. And, a well-developed routine for keeping the vision current.

Divided into 7 columns that align both horizontally and vertically, the OPP provides a logical framework to organise your strategic vision and guarantee that you have all the pieces to make it whole. The physical structure of the OPP forces prioritisation and simplicity. However, there's not much space to write so you have to be concise which is good for clarity!

As you fill in the plan, think of it as a giant crossword or Sudoku puzzle. Figure out what you can and let that help you determine the rest e.g. Purpose and Brand Promise will triangulate back into the BHAG? - your Big Hairy Audacious Goal.

At the end of the process you have a good plan, which is better than a great plan too late or not at all!

Here’s an outline of the plan.

Column 1 (Should/Shouldn't):

Lists a handful of rules defining the boundaries for decision making - the should's or shouldn'ts represented by the Core Values.

Column 2 (Why):

Expresses the impact the company wants to make in the world providing meaning - the Why - behind everyone’s efforts. it requires two main decisions:

● Purpose (often referred to as the 'mission'): the aspirational North Star or Southern Cross providing direction to the business

● BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal): the measurable piece of the Purpose that the business can achieve in the next 10 to 25 years

Column 3 (Where):

Defines Where the company is headed in the next three to five years. Includes a description of the Sandbox in which the company wants to play e.g. in terms of customers,

geography and product/services mix) and its measurable Brand Promises to those customers. It also summarises a handful of major Capabilities and Key Thrusts the company must pursue.

Column 4 (What):

Describes What results need to be achieved in the next 12 months. These are driven by a measurable #1 Priority (Critical Number) and a handful of 'Rocks'.

Column 5 (How):

Details How the company plans to achieve its vision, focused on a measurable 'next-step' 90-day #1 Priority (Critical Number) and a handful of 'Rocks'.

Column 6 (Finish Lines and Fun):

Describes the theme, celebration and rewards associated with the #1 Priority for the quarter or year. The theme celebrations give everyone a definitive finish line and a chance to have some fun.

Column 7 (Who): Column 7 (Who):

Delineates Who is accountable for various aspects of the OPSP, detailing the KPI's

Rocks and Critical Numbers for each employee or team. last the When question is represented by each column time frame.

The bottom line is that it works! Over 70,000 businesses worldwide use the OPP religiously. We use it at Konnector and you should too!

So, As a business owner or leader do you ever feel that you have too much on your plate?

Are things not getting done because you are pulled this way and that??

Or how about the decisions you have to make from a multitude of options presented.

What I love about running a business is the freedom you get to take it in any direction you like.

What I find challenging about running a business is that you get to take it in any direction you like.

Wait a moment you say, how does that work? If there are so many opportunities to go after, how do I know where to focus my time?

Exactly!

The mistake many small business owners make is that they keep their business plan in their head. When an opportunity comes along, as they invariably do, their thought process becomes distorted because their field of clarity around direction, accountability and focus on goals is not clearly defined or changes to suit the moment.

As a consequence resources such as time and money are wasted unnecessarily. You get the picture.

Let’s face it, a good percentage of people find planning boring and tedious, thus they procrastinate and most of the time the plan doesn’t get done or remains incomplete. Then, they wonder why they don’t achieve what they want in business and life.

For me, it’s a no-brainer - either I plan or I will fail. It’s not rocket science!

To download this and plenty more amazing free resources visit the Scaling up Website HERE