March 2008
Implementation: The Key to Getting Results from Business Plans and Strategic Planning
Every time we hear the saying "the devil is in the details" we pause to recognize the importance of thinking very thoroughly, of respecting the complexity in even the simplest situations. In our work helping organizations grow and develop, we could coin a similar phrase, something like "results are in the implementation." Rigorous analysis, brilliant solutions, and powerful plans are irrelevant if implementation is not achieved.
We were interviewing a prospective client over lunch the other day who wants to grow his core business, expanding to multiple locations. As we talked with him, he described his passion for meeting a growing need in the market, his vision of the future of his business, and his desire to make it a reality. At one point, he mentioned that he had even paid to have a business plan and marketing plan completed more than six months ago. With a plan, vision, and passion, why no results? He didn't know what to do next; he had no implementation plan.
Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon story. Many of our clients have business plans and strategic planning documents in beautiful binders collecting dust on a shelf somewhere that they cannot quickly locate. It's like planning an itinerary and buying a ticket for a great vacation but never packing your bags or getting onto the airplane.
We are continually brought into organizations to help them get results: increased profit, decreased cost, improved turnaround times, reduced errors, increased growth, etc. Usually these organizations have bright, talented people who know what needs to be done; but they have not achieved the results they desire and do not know why. Sometimes these organizations have even hired experts in their field who tell them what to accomplish but don't tell them how to implement the recommendations, and they are left no better off. Business leaders need to learn as much about how to achieve results as about what results to achieve.
As change-management and process experts, we are able to move you forward by engaging your team in the work. We know how to make implementation work, ensuring the process produces the results you need.
Our featured article this month, "The Value of Training," by Toni Roldan, describes an important element of certain implementation processes. Training can provide your employees with the knowledge and tools they need to implement the changes that you have planned for your organization. We hope you find this article informative and helpful. And as always, please contact us if you would like to find new ways of achieving your goals and you are ready to take your organization to the next level.
To your business success!
Rick and Gail