Plan Well!

"Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now" ~ Alan Lakein

At a recent session I was conducting with a team, we were discussing the necessity of planning outcomes before we set out to take action.

One of the problems that we focused on was the definition and documentation of what is it that we wish to achieve. While this may sound fairly simple, it dawned on me that may be it wasn't as simple as it seems.

Take for instance the SMART way of defining outcomes. Specific, Measurable, Action Oriented, Realistic and Time Bound; pretty simple and direct. But most people miss out on one or many of these aspects.

For instance, are you sure you have identified a way to measure the progress of your actions? If not, you may want to go back to review your outcome; for you cannot manage what you cannot measure.

Creating open ended timeless goals is another common issue. People draft goals and then because they "know" that they will be delayed they do not define a timeline for the goals. Does that sound reasonable? Its almost as if procrastination is factored into outcome planning which kind of defeats the purpose.

Apart from other such problems, I often see people planning for an outcome that is beyond their control. This can be a major stumbling block to your planning as well a blow to your motivation. When you define an outcome, review carefully if it is something that is within your control; and impacted ONLY by your actions. If the result of the action is dependent on a supervisor or manager (for example planning to get a salary hike or a promotion); you may want to review your actions to make them independent of other influences. Your actions and the resulting outcome will fuel your motivation and grant you that power you need to achieve more. Do not let it be dampened by flawed definition or inadequate planning.