Last week I reminded readers that, with summer drawing to a close, we’re moving into the fall planning cycle.
Making time to plan and confer creates a useful rhythm and a routine. I think of planning not only as something that every organization must do, but also each individual.
I always urged my staff to spend five to ten percent of their time planning. I recommended that they start each day reassessing and reaffirming their priorities. Then, plan the rest of the week. And the month.
If you can then shift your thinking outwards three–twelve months, you’ll reduce the lack of control that builds up from being constantly in a reactive mode. You begin to find patterns in your planning and you begin to see new possibilities and to develop contingency plans.
Always model and reinforce the importance of planning to your staff: You must plan to succeed. And you must plan… to succeed.
- Have you established a personal planning process?
- What can you do to make your planning more effective in both the short term, and also for longer-term planning?
For more about planning, see my insights under Prioritize & Focus.