The Secret Of Perfect Planning
by Miki SaxonWhen I wrote The Swamp And The Alligators: a (slightly irreverent) guide to career planning and the search process I had a chapter on career planning. Here is the first paragraph
“The world we live in is not conducive to planning in general, let alone long-term, i.e., strategic planning. There are very few good, visible role models who practice strategic planning. Elected officials don’t plan beyond the next election, while the government doesn’t seem to plan at all. Wall Street’s de facto definition of long-term is one quarter and companies are forced to accept and act on that definition or have havoc wreaked upon their stock. Even short-term planning is more reactive (fire fighting) than proactive. When planning is done, it’s frequently approached as a project comparable to climbing Mt. Everest with the end product required to outlast the Tablets.”
That was more than 15 years ago and nothing’s changed—people still aren’t comfortable planning.
There’s a simple trick to planning, whether for your career, family or company and I’m going to share it with you. In order for it to work, you have to stay conscious of the idea behind the action all the time.
Are you ready?
PLAN IN PENCIL
It doesn’t matter if you’re using a computer, plan in pencil.
Planning in pencil means accepting at the outset that plans change as life changes and that’s OK.
No person living or dead could have predicted the current economy. Even those who saw the looming problems in derivatives and sub-prime mortgages couldn’t forecast what is happening.
Plans need to be flexible, to bend and sway with the winds of fortune and the life changes that can’t be predicted.
PLANNING IN PENCIL is a state of mind, the part of your MAP that allows you to move forward at warp speed, yet still turn on a dime.
Your comments—priceless
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Image credit: idesign-er on sxc.hu
June 26th, 2009 at 9:29 am
Good reminder, Miki. I like to plan, have fun putting together lists and mapping out blog posts a month in advance. They are never followed exactly or even very closely, though, for the reasons you stated. It helps to have a guide to go back to, but planning in pencil allows me to make the changes in life that make sense. Daily, with kids, I have to go back to my original plans for the day and shift to meet changing needs.
June 26th, 2009 at 10:06 am
Smart lady, Becky! I have a friend with two sets of twins who plans in ink and wonders why she is so frustrated. She keeps asking and I keep laughing—we’ve had the conversation many times.