SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?

This is a question we wrestle with often in both our personal and professional lives. Once we answer that question, do we stay, or do we go, it will unlock the view of our next steps. I have always been a “We Should Go Person”. I struggle with the Status Quo view, if it is not broken why fix it view, but I am also a don’t stop at the first right answer person. The Let’s Go view will set the wheels in motion and you begin to develop a compelling vision and strategy for the organization and its units going forward. We will need to understand both the short term and long-term view, and the view of both the organizations strengths, challenges, and opportunities.

In our last newsletter we discussed the topic of finding Your Opportunity To Grow, and your approach. We have also talked about the Value of the 100 Day Plan. It is the vehicle to drive your vision and strategy.

In this newsletter, we answer the question, Do We Stay, or Do we Go, with the view of Going! I would like to talk about the importance of the strategic questions to ask yourself and your team. These will be the foundational pieces, and how you answer these questions will impact your strategy, vision, and approach that will be executed through the 100 Day Plan and beyond.

Here is a typical way of visualizing the competency of your organization and building process of your approach and your 100-day plan. Think of it as:

1. What is the issue/opportunity that must be addressed? (Developing vision and purpose)
2. How will I get my team aligned and committed? (Gaining organizational commitment) How do I turn intent into business results? (Achievement)
3. The competency profile describes the “right stuff” the leader must have to get the job done.

Here are some examples of the questions you can ask yourself or your team to begin the discussion process,

• Am I, (Are we), a business and or leader who initially went through years of successive growth, but have now reached a standstill?
• Are we in a critical year of our strategic plan?
• From our experience do we have the right approach on how to boost growth and “restart our revenue engines”?
• Are new technologies and especially disruptive technologies driving the industry to entirely new platforms for both products and service?
• Are competitors with new and better products reducing our market share?
• Are competitors with new and better products reducing our market share?
• Are our cost of sales rising?
• Do we have a talent defection which is becoming a serious issue?
• An employee relations survey revealed deteriorating morale across the company do we accept this as a problem?
• Have customer complaints increased within a space of nine months?

Traditionally, a new year gives us an opportunity for a fresh start, but there are times during the year we need a jump start. However, like New Year’s resolutions, the best laid business plans can easily be forgotten when we get caught up in the day-to-day activities that require us to put out fires and wrestle with ongoing business challenges.

Armed with the answers to these questions and an approach you have vetted with your team, the 100 Day Plan is the vehicle, the blueprint for an implementation process process that is both powerful in approach and elegant in its simplicity. It is your answer to the question, DO WE GO?

The 100 Day Plan is based on my concept of Balanced Leadership. The three components in Balanced Leadership are your company’s customers, employees, and stakeholders. All of this is built on a framework that puts less emphasis on “doing things right”, and instead focuses on “doing the right thing” for those three groups.

I am a believer in discipline, hard work, and enthusiasm. These are the components behind this plan, approach, and execution. It is also important to operate as efficiently as possible and with integrity, compassion, and good will. Finally, it is critical for a business and a leader to establish who you are, what you stand for, and what you will never compromise. It’s the foundation of the 100 Day Plan and what will get tested in the difficult days and different periods of the business plan.

During these first 100 days, with a methodical Balanced Leadership approach, you need to examine the current and future state of your three main constituent groups.

How well are you delighting your customers and anticipating their needs?
How engaged are your team members?
Are your drivers of success on track to meet earnings expectations?

Through the lens of Balanced Leadership, you will set the foundation with regard to expectations, focus, and culture. Your business plan will then determine what you wish to accomplish in the next 100 days; furthermore, it will determine your focus for monthly execution, serve as a blueprint for the execution of your team’s quarterly objectives, and reveal the yearlong program that will drive initiatives to enhance individual and team success.

I want to wish you, your family and your organization a Very Happy, Healthy and Safe 2023 and beyond. The speed of the leader determines the pace of the pack. Now that you have decided to Go, then Set the Pace!!