Planning takes time to perfect. Most of the time, when we are introduced to planning or anticipate the results of an activity, we either over or underestimate.
It takes constant practice, failures and successes to become good at planning.
Usually at the onset of planning, we may over-elaborate on goals and try to make ourselves feel good for a plan we may never use or implement.
The thing about planning is that it is best engrained in our minds when written down. You might have the best of ideas and plans but the likelihood of forgetting them in the course of time is very high when it stays in the mind. The courage to write your plans and ideas down serves as a mirror in which you look now and then to see the reflection of the plans in your life.
It can be heartache when you refer to the plan and realise that you are far from the goalpost. However, when plans are achieved or exceeded, it brings with it a feel-good factor. The one thing about planning is not so much about whether you can meet the targets or not; rather it is the guide it brings to our operations. Businesses need to be regulated just so they can be predictable.
A plan brings about that predictability, as it clearly shows the consequences of our actions. Even in our naivety of saying we do not plan or have goals for the coming year; that in itself is a plan which resides somewhere in your mind.
In marketing, a plan or a goal is advised to be SMART (acronym). S � specific, M � measurable, A � attainable, R � realistic and T � timely. These criteria for goal setting bring to focus the stringent regulations which come into goal setting.
Though a plan is to regulate your business, it is also supposed to be flexible enough for you to adjust and/or even change course. There is no point in continuing a direction which will lead you nowhere. According to the European Space Agency, the Rosetta Mission took 10 years, 9 months and 16 days to land, had 2,000 people working on the project and cost about 1.4 billion Euros. The comet, 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, though a relatively small object, has the potential of helping mankind understand the origin and evolution of life.
Some scientists believe that comets have amino acids on their surfaces. If that is proved, then this might bring a whole new debate on the origins of life and our understanding of who we are. The precision of the mission and the fact that it was the first to orbit and land on a comet makes the 10-year-old mission probably one of the greatest adventures mankind has ever accomplished.
The Rosetta story therefore sets a strong case for planning ahead. The mission was planned 10 years in advance. Reading the Rosetta story makes me think of planning as a four-stage process;
Think
What is it that you want to do? It might be the first time or it might never have been done before. Engage your mental faculties. If it is a group project like that of the Rosetta, which was launched by the European Space Agency, then the thinking cannot be left for one person. Maybe one person might come up with the vision, but equally important are the minds which toil to address the possibilities of the end goal.
In employing the brain game, you might suffer some ego shocks but it�s not about you. It�s about the end results and the difference you are likely to bring to other people�s lives, including yours. I am certain that next year will be very tough for us as a country.
The cedi, from all indications, will still go globe-trotting. Our government is likely not to get it right and other state institutions will continue to make life miserable for us. Some people we consider to be partners might just make demands on us, which might not be fair, but they will still insist. In the midst of all these, you need to have a clear plan as to how you deal with these challenges. You might have to let some go and explore new relationships, but what you cannot do as a business is to give excuses, blame everybody and fail to take responsibility.
Learn
Max Ehrmann, in his 1927 prose poem; "Desiderata� (desired things) states, �for always there will be greater and lesser persons than you�. You can never know it all. Running a business is like being in a big maze; just when you think you have cracked it, another detour sets in. That is why as a business you need to be on the constant edge to learn. Learn from lessons, as it is the only benefit in life. Learn from colleagues and just engage your mind in challenging concepts.
The spirit of making business work usually resides in either one person or just a few people. Subordinates might never understand what you go through as a leader but you are an embodiment of the strength and tenacity of the business. Lose faith and all is gone. It�s indeed a big mind game.
Act
Take a step. Show up and get counted. You do not need all the right answers and indeed most of the time the best experts don�t even have them. By taking action, you set into motion some universal machinations which some way somehow cause things to work in your favour. Even where things do not go your way, your thought process and the things you have learned will assist you in adjusting and revising your notes.
Businesses sometimes bundle themselves in a series of planning and bureaucratic nuances, which are good but sometimes it just takes a leap of faith to venture into the deep. In acting, you need to have a positive expectation that the desired results will happen. We all get to that state where we lose faith and courage. During such times, take time out. If it�s having a good sleep, getting drunk in your bedroom or dancing which makes you forget your troubles, please, just go indulge in it. But, please, do come back to continue the journey.
Review
We fail, we fall, we dust ourselves, pick ourselves up and continue. There is no easy way out. Do it the hard way till you get intelligent enough to revise your strategy. Constantly refer to your goals; they are to be instruments of pride, courage and inspiration. Compare yourself with a competitor or another business and allow yourself to get jealous but do not stay in that state.
Be content with your status and aim to improve and drive harder. For all the ingredients of planning presented above, you have to constantly employ them to your advantage. Being content is not a licence to be mediocre in your achievements and or satisfied. There is still a lot to be done.
Colleagues and subordinates are looking up to you to make their lives better, to inspire and encourage them. Do not get greedy but rather set in motion a series of actions which will eventually affect the lives of the people who work with you and the larger society.
So I ask again, what will be the agenda for the coming year? Set a goal, have a theme for 2015 and just go forth. GB
Yaw Asamoah works at Creative Trends, the organisers of the African SME Summit. Let�s continue the discussion at African SME Summit on Facebook. Email - [email protected].
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