“Plans are nothing; planning is everything.” These are wise words from former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and training people with this philosophy in mind is critical to the success of organizations.
The practice of overcoming the unexpected — and the unexpected always seems to occur — and reaping the benefits of success hinges on our ability to be good process planners. You have a great plan in place and are ready to execute when suddenly something goes wrong. Understanding theprocess of planning allows you to overcome the worst of times and get back on track. Consider these three points:
Do the work. Everyone on the team must know their job and should be willing to work hard to accomplish individual and company goals. In order for any plan to work, 100 percent participation is vital.
Change the game. Once the team has the work down, everyone needs to figure out how to change the game. “Changing the game,” means that individuals and teams must be innovative in their approach to work. Employees on the front lines are closer to the action and are able to discover new ways to accomplish tasks more effectively.
Overcome obstacles. Empowered employees who are in the action and are trained in the process of planning are able to overcome objections.
This process of planning allows the company to become a learning organization. Employees become valuable problem solvers, which allows great flexibility when things go wrong.
