“I”™m struggling with prioritizing the short term (1-3 years) and the long term (4-5 years or more). Seems like one gets our attention, gets on track and we forget to look at the other one. My fear is that people will get discouraged if they think nothing is getting done. And I”™m concerned about what we”™re trying to accomplish, is that realistic. Sometimes it feels like we”™re all over the place.”
Thoughts of the Day: Make a list of goals to help you stay on point while looking toward the business”™ future. Work the plan. Draw on past successes when things get tough. Build a culture of plan, execute, follow through and deliver. Be a role model for the people around you.
Bring employees and managers together. Get everyone on the same page by involving them in a companywide planning process. Teach everyone about the value of building and working a plan. Set both short- and long-term goals. Check that short term leads to long term. Turn goals into actions by planning out details.
Ask people to build individual and department plans consistent with the company”™s overall goals. Relate goals to personal needs and objectives. For example if the goal is to build sales, ask individuals to brainstorm how increased sales will make their lives better. What is it that they want if the company”™s revenue and profits go up?
Differences of opinion will inevitably arise about which goals to pursue and how to achieve those goals. Embrace differences rather than avoiding them. Include voices in the company that normally aren”™t heard. The quiet ones may have key points to make that can help to insure a plan”™s success.
Build ways to measure how things are going. Use the results of actions taken, positive or negative, to boost motivation. Avoid getting mired in a moment of failure by focusing on where to go next while simultaneously dealing with immediate roadblocks.
Willingly face challenges. For example, more sales might mean more work developing and delivering products or services. Stress points might blow up. Ask people to brainstorm what could go wrong. Face obstacles by planning out how to avoid or deal with them. That kind of exercise will help everyone be more prepared and confident when problems inevitably do crop up.
When things do go wrong, put energy towards figuring out solutions. Avoid tearing the company apart trying to figure out who did what wrong. Of course it”™s important to break down problems in order to understand them and not repeat mistakes. But when the focus is on moving forward to a better place, it”™s more likely that the team will use breakdowns as opportunities to learn and grow.
Teach your people about the value of working together, that there is strength in numbers. When one person gets tired or frustrated, another can pick up the slack. A team can accomplish geometrically more than any one person. Use that team concept to keep up momentum.
Show employees that you are concerned about their welfare. Express caring by focusing on individual development and security. Use the company as a vehicle to help people achieve their individual dreams.
Remember that people are always watching what you do as much as, or more than, what you say. If you want people to be enthusiastically engaged, you”™ll have to wear that enthusiasm like a mantle as you face the difficult times in the business. That said, it is also important that you let people see the vulnerabilities ”“ your concerns that the plan may not work ”“ so that they can assist with building the solutions. Inspire others by acknowledging the truth of where things stand and then focusing everyone”™s energy on going forward to achieve the possibilities of where you, and they, want to be.
Looking for a good book? “Appreciative Leadership: Focus on What Works to Drive Winning Performance and Build a Thriving Organization” by Diana Whitney, Amanda Trosten-Bloom and Kae Rader.
Andi Gray is president of Strategy Leaders Inc., a business-consulting firm that specializes in helping small to mid-sized, privately held businesses achieve doubled revenues and tripled profits in repetitive growth cycles. Interested in learning how Strategy Leaders can help your business? Call now for a free consultation and diagnostic process: (877) 238-3535. Do you have a question for Andi? Email her at AskAndi@StrategyLeaders.com or visit www.AskAndi.com for an entire library of Ask Andi articles.
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