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What's the plan?
1 Oct, 2008 By: Phil Harwood Landscape ManagementFall is the best time for many landscape management firms to plan. It's about as close as we come to an off-season, especially if your firm is also in the snow management business. Most of us can afford to unplug for a day or two. This article will provide a brief overview of strategic planning — and perhaps provide some inspiration for you to book a planning session with your team this fall.
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Some of us are planners. Some of us are not. We're all different. However, those who have a plan tend to be more successful than those who don't. In fact, common sense tells us that we need to have a plan, right? So why don't most firms have plans? I know, I know, everyone's busy. I get it. But, let me ask you this: What are your chances of survival over the long haul without a plan? Isn't it time you and your key people did some strategic planning?
What is strategic planning? It is simply the act of answering five basic questions that might seem harmless at first glance, but I can tell you that they are not easy to answer. Let's look at each one:
1 Who are we? This question is about values. In what do we believe? What do we believe to be true? What absolutes exist, or are there no absolutes? If a person shares your values, the individual is attracted to you. In the same way, firms attract employees and customers who share their values. Values matter, and they greatly impact individual and team performance.
2 Why do we exist? This question is about mission. Why does the firm exist? Why was it created? What is its purpose on this planet? What is it trying to accomplish? A firm's mission is closely related to its values. A clearly stated mission attracts like-minded people who share its passion. It creates alignment, motivation and commitment.
3 Where are we headed? This question is about vision. Where is the firm headed in the next 10 to 20 years? What is it striving to become? What will it look like when it arrives? What is the ultimate long-term goal? Vision also is related closely to the company's values and mission. A clear vision inspires others, creates excitement and drives performance to higher levels.
4 Where do we need to be in five years? If we know what the long-term vision is, we surely can create a shorter-term vision of what the firm will look like in five years. How much revenue? How much profit? How many employees? How many locations? How many customers? How many trucks? What changes need to occur, and by when, to make that happen? What obstacles and challenges are we facing? How will we overcome them?
5 Where do we need to be this year? Setting goals for the current year is much easier to do if we know where we need to be in five years. In addition to the questions asked to develop the five-year plan, we should also be asking ourselves more granular questions such as: Who is accountable for what, and by when? What are our quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily goals?
Planning, goal-setting and accountability are the drivers of performance. Start with the five-year plan and work backward year by year. By using this process annually, a five-year rolling plan will emerge.
Strategic planning should not be a time-consuming, complex process that doesn't meet the needs of our fast-paced world. If it is, it will be tough to stay committed to doing it.
On the other hand, strategic planning cannot be ignored without disastrous results. Somewhere in the middle, there is just the right mix of strategic thinking, real-time planning, and accountability that will drive performance for your business. Asking yourself five simple questions is a great place to start.
The author is an entrepreneur, business owner, speaker and writer with more than 25 years of management experience in the Green Industry and is the owner of Pro-Motion Marketing. Contact him philharwood@pro-motionmarketingllc.com.
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