Building a business plan must have a Strategic Vision, a Tactical View for Execution, and a Disciplined Approach. We have talked in previous newsletters about the importance of disciplined people with disciplined thought creating a world-class organization through disciplined action.
Let’s talk about disciplined thought as an important component of the planning process and a quick review of disciplined thought.
• Collaborative team building: Establishes a climate where team collaboration and effectiveness flourish; Establishes constructive and solid interpersonal relationships and treats others with courtesy, tact, and respect; Works effectively with others, regardless of organizational level, background, gender, race, or ethnicity, and works to resolve disagreements, attempting to persuade others and reach agreements; Finally, supports group decisions when group decisions are appropriate; leads and facilitates team interaction and maintains focus on group goals.
• Integrity in all we do: Does what is right for customers, people, shareholders, and stakeholders; role models consistency between their words and actions; lives their word; establishes open, candid, trusting, respectful relationships at all levels; treats all people inside and outside fairly; makes decisions that are effective rather than politically correct.
• Forward-looking: Is a visionary thinker with a vision for the business and business units. Maintains a long-term, big-picture view while dealing effectively with short-term business challenges. Quickly identifies obstacles and opportunities; stimulates breakthrough ideas from the best talent; fosters innovative solutions, resulting in new, effective business strategies.
• Detailed planning: Empowers employees by giving them the authority to get things accomplished in the most efficient and timely manner; provides candid and helpful performance feedback to direct reports on a regular basis, both formally and informally; ensures that performance feedback is an integral part of every supervisor/manager’s daily job responsibility; insists that leaders accept developing subordinates as a major job requirement and has created a history of developing written succession plans and mobilizing company resources to support the plan.
• Constructively dissatisfied: Is open to constructive criticism from a 360-degree perspective—boss, subordinates, and peers—and deals effectively with ambiguity and learns from success and failure.
• Customer-based focus on developing solutions: Works effectively with both internal and external customers; knows how to gather and analyze customer data to discover business opportunities, continuously improve customer value, cement customer retention, and develop competitive advantages; understands how to utilize customer relationships to identify high- potential business opportunities and create innovative products/services that establish a first-mover advantage.
Going into the planning process, here are some questions to consider as you prepare for the kickoff meeting. Your goal for the meeting is to identify and agree upon the strategic intent of the plan, the market dynamics to produce sales and marketing deliverables, and the ability to execute the plan. The key deliverables will be:
1. Understand the business plan, market positioning, competitive environment, service offerings, and value propositions.
2. Review the management structure, strategic partners, customers, sales funnel, and sales and marketing strategy.
3. Gain commitment to execute both in sales and operations and perform to impact:
◦ Bottom-line results
◦ Operational results
◦ Leadership effectiveness
Some additional questions that can prompt conversation and answer the three key questions that are our North Star:
• Who we are.
• What we stand for.
• What we will not compromise.
They are:
1. What is the genesis of our organization?
2. Describe the company vision, mission, values, and goals.
3. How would you describe our brand attributes?
4. Do we all understand our organizational structure and spheres of influence?
5. What are the strengths and opportunities of our management team?
6. What are we enthusiastic about?
7. Review the strategic partnerships, suppliers, vendors, customers, and competitors.
8. What are the immediate opportunities and risks?
9. How are strategic partners leveraged for growth?
10. What are the core competencies of our company?
11. What is the strength of our company?
12. What is our talent development strategy, and is it aligned with our strategic plan?
13. What are the greatest challenges heading into the new year?
14. What should our top three initiatives be going into the new year?
15. What are the industry trends we should be taking advantage of?
To build a comprehensive and strategic business plan and execute it, we will have to demonstrate broad-based leadership. As leaders, we will play a variety of leadership roles (for example, driving, delegating, supporting, empowering, collaborating, and coaching) as appropriate. Our ability to inspire others to perform at their best will be challenging but necessary, and we must create a climate that fosters personal investment and excellence.
We will set the tone from the top and pursue aggressive goals while driving for results. This will lead us to create both a learning and performance environment and high-energy leaders that can lead to cultural change and execution of the plan.
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I have broad experiences to share that can help others as they grow and take on new challenges. During my time as president of UPS Supply Chain Solutions, I integrated over 20 acquisitions that became UPS Supply Chain Solutions. I steered UPS’s entry into the health care industry and created the mantra, “It’s a patient, not a package. ®” With the ability to see a clear vision of the changing business landscape, the passion to develop strategies, tactics, and metrics to drive desired results, and the passion to develop the Best, The Brightest, Most Informed, and Best People in the industries they serve.
Please give me a call today at 610-322-0720 or email at
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THE LEADERSHIP LIBRARY PODCAST SEASON 8
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TIGHTEN THE LUG NUTS: THE PRINCIPLES OF
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