With the yearend upon us, you may be feeling the crunch, particularly in regard to projecting, budgeting and planning. Down to the wire, it’s time to finalize those goals and strategies, letting go of what’s not been working and creating clarity around new directions and the necessary tools to help, such as the MAP Management System™, which works like a GPS, helping you navigate and get results faster.

If you’re feeling stuck, under pressure, unproductive or all of the above in regard to your business planning efforts as of late, take the following pointers to heart. Let them shift you from out of stalled and into a proactive place. From there, drive the planning activities toward a destination that truly nets results—it starts with you!

1. Get out of your own planning way. It’s important to explore and remove what barriers you may have around planning, particularly those that you, as the leader, may be creating, even if unintentionally. Do some questioning around this—do you fear setting goals that you may not be able to achieve? Do you feel you lack the tools, resources and know-how to adequately plan and execute, so procrastinate planning activities? Get feedback from a trusted mentor or coach, such as your MAP Consultant, who can help ask the right questions, give constructive feedback, and provide direction in addressing those barriers. Of course, it’s ultimately up to you to act upon any coaching received or direction you choose.
2. Don’t make planning your personal agenda. It can feel extremely personal when your business’s future is on the line or you’re making big planning decisions around an organization for which you’ve invested “blood, sweat and tears.” But avoid the temptation to make planning about you, your worries and your fears. Shift the focus of planning to the business itself, keeping your customers in the crosshairs of decision-making and your employees aligned, accountable and engaged around their goals and activities. As far as your own leadership is concerned, your role is to ensure your organization has the right information for effective planning, and then to inspire and empower your team to remain involved, invested and, hopefully, feeling rewarded in the process.
3. Stay the course. Planning doesn’t end with a finalized document. After all, it’s actually a living document used for execution, continual review, possible changes, and forward momentum. Stay the course with your goals through regular check-ins and team meetings, building and reinforcing the accountability you’ve established and are executing. Don’t let shiny objects or other distractions steer you from that destination. Stay the course and, assuming you have the right people around you working in the right positions, lean on and let them bring energy, ideas and focus to the course you are pursuing.

Setting a new course this year? See it through with discipline and accountability with MAP by your side. Contact us today!