About Purpose is about your purpose.
Aim: Identify and articulate your purpose.
Arm: Shape yourself around your purpose.
Act: Achieve your purpose.
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A Bad Back Teaches Me About Strategic Planning
©2001, Bob Ryan
I knew the box was too heavy – way too heavy. Yet I tried to wrestle it out of the car anyway. Three days before my 53rd birthday and I’m still using my body as if I were 18. Well, you know what happened. I strained my back, and I did it well. I could feel it coming on. Those of you who have had back problems know that sharp twinge of pain. If only I had stopped right then. But, no, I continued pushing and pulling and just generally ignoring the body’s unmistakable signs. By the end of the day I couldn’t even climb the stairs to go to bed.
Here it is, five days later, and I’m still recuperating. I learned some valuable lessons these last several days while laying in bed and watching way more football than I care to see. Maybe you can learn from my mistakes.
There’s a great parallel here to management. Six lessons to include in strategic planning.
Know your vulnerabilities – You know where your weak points are in your business. You’ve probably been hurt by them before. Don’t go into denial. Your awareness should keep you from stumbling into situations in which you are likely to fail. Build strategies that strengthen that area of weakness. In the meantime, chart a course that will steer you away from your vulnerabilities.
Listen to the warnings – If you keep your ears open you can hear the warnings. They’re all around you. Listen to your employees, your customers, your suppliers. Read your industry journals. Subscribe to a clipping service. Collect and compare key performance data over time and against sensible benchmarks. Running a business without good, current information is as foolish as – well, as continuing to lift heavy boxes when your back starts to hurt.
Ask for help – There’s something about our Western culture that equates asking for help with weakness or losing. Asking for help at the right time can make a major difference in the outcome of any endeavor. The result will be cheaper, better and easier if you get the right person for the job with the right tools at the right time. Read my article on when and when not to use a consultant at my website. Had I asked my strong, young neighbor for help, I would have had a much more productive week.
Learn to “phase” projects – One of the best strategies to use in unsure or overwhelming situations is the phase approach, which behaviorists call “successive approximation.” Simply identify the critical path that will get you where you want to go, and then break it down into chronological steps. Each step brings you closer to success without overtaxing your resources or damaging your ability to service the rest of your business.
Plan time for recovery – Sometime you are going to get hurt. That’s part of learning. When you do, don’t rush your recovery. Be realistic about how long it takes to get back on top of your game. If you make unrealistic demands on yourself and your staff, you are likely to get hurt worse, and your time to peak performance will be even further off. Much as it irked me to do so, I cancelled several appointments. I spent more time than I like to admit resting my back. But I believe that I’m now ready to perform well, rather than tentatively.
Use your recovery constructively – Any setback is an opportunity for growth. As long as you have to take the time for recovery, you might as well use it constructively. Write down your learning and share it with others in your organization. Talk about the steps to take to keep your weakness from hurting you in the future. How could you rebuild, restaff, retrain, or redirect so that you can come out of this better and stronger than when you went in?
Next time you see me, you may notice that I’m walking a little stiffly. But you’ll also notice a new look of confidence and determination. A back injury is no fun, but it can be a great opportunity for learning and growth.