You Know The Question; What Is Your Answer?

The big question for 2024 is “What are you waiting for?”

Wikipedia says that Carpe diem?is a phrase from a?Latin?poem by?Horace?that has been popularly translated as "seize the day".?Carpe?literally means "to pick, pluck, pluck off, cull, crop, gather."

Now; today, is the time to take action and move forward for the next chapter in your business.

Take ten minutes to determine what your business will look like at the end of this year and three years from now. This is not a moon shot or the race to the North Pole. This is a vision, something that is seen first in your mind then translated to paper.? A good plan begins not with a goal, but a gaining of an understanding of the facts.

Take inventory of what is available now to deal with the vision and what might be available in the near future. Add to this inventory a candid list of internal and external dangers and weaknesses.

Another way to phrase this step is to perform a SWOT (internal strengths, weakness; external opportunities, threats) analysis.? A SWOT analysis is an all purpose, all powerful tool that many at the top could use more often. It is also an excellent vehicle for being educated about the present as it related to the future. ?

However, even the SWOT process has issues. The process often ignores facts and is based on opinions. ?

To illustrate, President Lincoln did not first say that his goal was to preserve the Union; before he did that he gained an understanding of the facts not only through personal observation but by sending men he trusted to be his eyes and ears in the South and to report back to him with the unvarnished facts so that he could determine what kind of goal to set. ?

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The second step is to set a goal that focuses the organization to address the situation

The goal has to short, simple and easily understood by everyone in the organization. Lincoln made it clear to all in his first inaugural address when he stated that his goal was to "hold, occupy, and possess the property and places" belonging to the federal government in the United States.

During a moment in a football game in the movie "Remember the Titans" the defensive coach calls the team to the sideline and tells his players that the opposition is not to gain "another yard." This rallying cry was short, simple, easily communicated, understood and executed.

In order for any goal to be reached, the plan, whatever its level of complexity, must be executed. Most plans fail in their execution because of a lack of communication and or a lack of understanding as to the roles and responsibilities of those involved. ?

The most successful American General in WWII, George S. Patton, said that, “A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week."

The organization that succeeds is one that execute better than their competition. That is how world-class organizations become that way.

It is also important to create something tangible to mark progress along the way. Lincoln approved the continued construction of the US Capitol Building in Washington DC during the midst of the Civil War because he said "If people see the Capitol going on, it is a sign we intend the Union shall go on."

This is the year to break ranks and be bold. Being bold means looking at other industries and other countries to see what can be adapted. The tired mantra of "this is the way our company operates" is a sure sign of a need for invigoration.

Starbucks would not be where it is today, an admired country across the globe, if Howard Schultz had not boarded a plane for Italy and observed people there sipping coffee in public places. This single individual revitalized two tired industries (coffee and restaurants) in less than two decades.?

Blutto (John Belishi) tells his fraternity mates in the movie Animal House, ”Where's the spirit? Where's the guts, huh? This could be the best night of our lives, but you're gonna let it be the worst.”

Will 2024 be the best year of your business, or something less? The choice is yours.

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