When do you plan for the future of your organization?
Often times organizations struggle with the “when” of making future plans. So, when do you do that? It may not be a direct answer as it depends upon your organizations structure but here are some tips to get you started.
Always be planning!
Before you engage with your teams it is best to have something to show them. Writing down your thoughts in a central area is great. It also gives you a chance to see what other plans you have been working on or thought about. Planning doesn’t begin on one specific day but should be a continuous application of your thoughts.
Organize your thoughts.
You may think that just putting your plans on pencil or paper or in a doc file is good enough. It may be for you but how would others on your team interpret this? It is beneficial to create a legend of sorts for your planning. Divide each plan into a group (i.e., Create a new performance metric for new hires - HR).
Date stamp your planning.
It is really helpful if you knew when you thought of a certain idea or plan. By putting a date on your planning session you can see how long it has taken to get this plan implemented from concept to application. It is also good for you to see how many other thoughts you came up with on those dates.
Meet with your team.
Teams are an important part of our work and keeping them in the loop is essential for them to continue to function. Creating a designated time to go over plans gives them an opportunity to provide input. This creates a sense of ownership within the team that goes a long way to creating team cohesion.
Organizations change and plans may change as well, but establishing a continued practice of constant planning allows you to grow. However, planning is not getting you to the point you want but more setting the goal you want to achieve and the path you think will get you there. Making a plan isn’t rocket science but can take time. By implementing a constant planning model you can save yourself time and even money in the long run.
