Plan Your Work, Work Your Plan, Your Plan Will Work

We are just 20 days into the New Year! How are you doing executing on your 2024 Strategy?

I'm reflecting on the wisdom of George Patton's words: "A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week." Recently, I had the privilege of facilitating a board meeting retreat this week and the week prior working with an ambitious founder aiming to triple his organization's growth this year. My past experiences have reinforced a crucial lesson:

There's power and effectiveness in strategic planning paired with swift and decisive action.

Planning involves more than just setting goals; it's about creating a roadmap for success that your entire organization can follow. The two-day retreat was an exercise in intentional reflection – a chance to pause and question the direction and the markers of progress. It's about asking, "Where am we going, and how will we recognize when we've arrived?" Establishing clear weekly and monthly milestones is key to ensuring success.

When planning with leaders we look at several things but we always start with

Vision, Mission, Values, and Goals.

Vision says, "What hill are we setting our sights on?"

Mission says, "How are we going to take that hill?"

Values say, "What are the rules of engagement for the hill?"

Our Goals tell us "Where to focus and how do we know when we've won the hill?"

There is undeniable power in meticulous planning, but this power is amplified when paired with immediate and forceful action.

Procrastination or waiting for a 'perfect' plan can often be the biggest impediment to success.

By embracing Patton's philosophy, we not only set a course for where we want to go but also ignite the momentum to get there swiftly and effectively.

Need a planning session? Let's talk.

Want to learn more about running effective meetings? Check out my book.