Planning

[I]“The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses makes but few calculations beforehand.” – Sun-Tzu [/I]

As an aircraft navigator, the U.S. Air Force invested over half-a-million dollars in me to be able to create detailed plans (flight plans) and ensure that our team (crew) followed the course so our objective (sortie) was achieved. I would spend several hours preparing the plan so I could brief the crew, and baring some mechanical malfunction or a major storm, we always accomplished the mission by applying specific principles. The same principles used in navigation to get from point “A” to point “B” are applicable to business situations and other disciplines.

However, it takes more than just having a plan to ensure success. After the successful invasion of Normandy, Gen. Dwight David Eisenhower was asked about the detailed planning process that went into the invasion. He made this comment: “Plans are nothing; planning is everything.”

Eisenhower understood that plans were essential to victory, but he also knew that the moment the battle begins, the situation changes so much that the plan will be obsolete unless there is continual revision. It is the planning process of continually monitoring and updating that turns the plan into a living document. As a navigator, I was required to take a “fix” every 20 minutes to assess our current situation and then compare it with the planned course. This continual monitoring and course correction allowed us to stay within predetermined parameters and stay on course.

One of the things that the majority of businesses and practically every government entity in the CNMI lack is the ability to develop a cohesive strategic plan that guides decisions, and then monitor the situation so that their actions achieve a specific outcome. This, I believe, is the crux of most of our challenges.

The old adage, “when you fail to plan, you plan to fail,” holds true here. Tactical thinking is used far too often to deal with the score of crises that continually emerge. Generally, with NO strategy, there is NO direction, NO plan to guide actions, NO implementation to get it done, NO metrics to monitor results, and NO accountability to hold individuals or entities responsible.

If you don’t have a plan, trying to keep your organization moving may feel like you’re riding a dead horse. The tribal wisdom of Dakota Indians says that when you discover you’re riding a dead horse, the best decision is to dismount. However, in the CNMI, instead of planning for long-term solutions, we keep trying to fix our “dead horses” by: putting a Band-Aid on the dead horse; buying a stronger whip; changing riders; threatening the rider with termination or salary reductions unless things get better; arranging to travel to other places to see how they ride their dead horses; harnessing several dead horses together for increased speed; hiring outside contractors to ride the dead horse; appointing a committee to study the dead horse; or promoting the dead horse.

Instead of riding the same, old dead horse, try creating a strategic plan to identify the type of living horse that will take you to your destination. There is a six P formula for success that states: “Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance.” Proper prior planning forces you to organize your thoughts and identify key issues. It also allows you to identify possible obstacles that would keep you from accomplishing the plan.

Proper planning can save you a lot of time and expense by focusing your resources on the most important objectives, and avoiding those activities that would yield little results. Every hour spent in planning saves about ten hours in execution. Time management expert, Alec Mackenzie said: “Action without planning is the cause of every failure.”

Spend time making your calculations before you enter the business battlefield. At the beginning of each day spend five to ten minutes planning what you want to accomplish and prioritizing your list. Take action and monitor your results so you can revise your plan if needed. Do this regularly and you will find that your proper prior planning produces powerful performance.

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If you feel that your business could benefit from creating a powerful strategy and plan of action, we have a free report that will guide you through the strategic planning process. In addition, we’re planning a meeting for business owners to brainstorm solutions to the most pressing problems facing businesses in the CNMI. If you are interested in the report or coming to the meeting, email us at rikv@bizresults.org.

[I](Rik is a business instructor at NMC and Janel is a partner with BizResults, LLC (www.bizresults.org). They can be contacted at rikv@bizresults.org.)[/I]