• What is a goal?
• How do you make sure your goals are aligned with your higher-level strategic objectives?
• What does “goal cascading” mean and why is that important?

For more information on goal setting, see our article, How S.M.A.R.T. goal setting works or browse our resources section.

Of course, you can’t just give your people a condescending “you did great!” plaque and call it a day. I can’t remember if my face ever decorated an “employee of the month” sign at the fast food joints I worked at in highschool, but I can say that it wouldn’t have motivated me. What would have, though, would have been having a say-so in a few of the areas where I could have contributed valuable ideas and insight.

Include Me

If you’re serious about great performance (who am I kidding- you’re reading our blog, so you must be!) then you need to be serious about taking your employees serious. OK, that might be confusing, but picture this: what’s going to engage your people better- your executive team presenting your company’s business strategy and performance management system as if you just climbed down from the mountain with them written on stone tablets, or… you taking the time to ask them their ideas, needs and wants- FIRST?

Fall is usually the season for strategic planning. So, as we roll into it we all have a powerful opportunity to actively engage our employees and include them in the planning process. It may not always be possible or even best to include everyone in actually charting the final course, BUT by asking for input on the outset, we can secure a stronger bond that makes employees feel more capable, appreciated and needed. And during unsure economic times, employee loyalty is a costly thing to ignore.

Unleash My Potential

So how can we include our employees?

• Survey your staff. Ask questions about how they see their roles, what direction they think the company should take, or what you should be doing better, or even not doing at all.
• Re-visit your company’s values and vision. While your mission shouldn’t change often, many companies find re-aligning their vision and/or values an important part of keeping their company competitive and acknowledging the changing culture of our environment.
• Sit down and chat. Managers can learn a great deal when they give employees a chance to talk openly and honestly about their every day tasks, perceived inefficiencies, or even how their performance is managed.
• Keep them posted. Let your people know exactly what stages you are in with your strategic or performance management planning process. Let everyone know who is involved, when and why. Even if you’re calling the final shots, everyone finds value in being able to shape their destiny.

Lastly, as Erica says, “helping your employees see the vision that you have for success and growth helps you work toward that goal. Organizations that have a clear direction have committed people.”

Seeing as how she’s currently the head of the fourth largest food/beverage companies in the world, I figured we ought to take notice, but I found something missing in the article. While the 5 C’s are extremely sound, I thought we could all use some extra information: how to develop these attributes in ourselves. So here they are, with suggestions on personal improvement.

1. Competence

“I think you can’t move up in any job or in life unless you are damn good at something. You have to have a hip-pocket skill. [If] you forget that skill, your utility goes down in a company because people don’t know what to come to you for because you are not current in anything.”

Where to find competence:

• Stick to your tasks. It’s said that it takes 7 years to become truly proficient at most jobs.
• Training. Jump at the chance to go to conferences or training.

2. Courage (and Confidence)

“You can be very good at something, but if you are not willing to break some china in speaking up when you think something is not being done right, what is the value of having all that competency?”

Where to find Courage and Confidence:

• Take on tasks that challenge you. No one gains courage from their comfort zone.
• Make a list of things that shake your confidence and pledge to tackle at least 3 this year

3. Communication

“You might be willing to have the courage and have the confidence, but if you can’t communicate what you are going to do in a compelling way, that is a wasted thing.

How to grow in your communication skills:

• Focus on your interpersonal relationships- each one thrives from great communication. The more deep relationships you have, the more refined your skills will become.
• Read, read, read. Reading refines our introspective abilities, as well as deepens our vocabularies.

4. Compass

“You can have everything, but if you don’t have moral integrity it is all for naught.”

Where to find your compass:

• Wisdom books. Whether religious texts, philosophy or even books of great quotations, any book that you feel speaks to your quest for wisdom will provide you a moral compass when tough decisions need to be made.
• Family. For some, staying in touch with their roots grounds them and provides them with direction.
• Spirituality in any form. Many people find their compass through pursuing spirituality; if this interest you, then find a source that inspires you and dig deep.

5. Coaching

“Mentors have always played a role in my life. Mentors find you. You don’t find them. A mentor has picked you because you have the competence, the courage and confidence, you are a great communicator and you have a moral compass. They say, ‘I want to hitch my horse to yours because I think you are going to go places and you will take me with you. Not because I need it but because I like the ride.’ ”

How to get a mentor:

• You don’t have to wait for a mentor to find you, and they don’t have to come from a usual source. Be motivated to ask and be creative.
• Great sources for mentors would your place of business, volunteer organizations, schools or colleges, athletic organizations or spiritual institutions.
• Most of the time the people in your life who provide you with wisdom and direction would be happy to meet for coffee, as long as you respect their time.

Planning is one thing, but how do you make sure your plan gets implemented? There’s a secret to executing strategy. It’s not magic, and it’s not hope. If you’re anything like me, no matter how many times you’ve called the psychic hotline, or begged the universe to accomplish your strategic initiatives, you’ve noticed that something is missing.

Well, don’t be sad. Erica has come through yet again with a fantastic, concise whiteboard video that will show you how to get your strategy done. No more guessing what will work, no more pointing fingers when your objectives fall flat- this video will give you the tools to quit relying on the plan (or the universe) alone to accomplish your vision.

Thanks for watching and as always, feedback and questions are encouraged.

So, why do so many people try so hard to manage themselves and still fall short? Most people want to perform. They want to accomplish great things, but never seem to catch up on everything they are given to do in the course of a day. How many times have you said to yourself, “it’s five o’clock and my to-do list is bigger than it was when I got here at eight?”

For most of us, it’s a matter of overhauling our personal performance management systems, and finding a way to avoid the following five traps that so often trip us up:

Failure to see the big picture

Your performance management system should have a reason behind it. If you’re reading this, chances are that your current system, if you have one, isn’t working to some degree, and this is the most common reason. Instead of just jumping into your mountain of tasks, stop first and ask yourself”why am I doing all of these things?”

There must be a reason why you work. The answer for you may be (more…)

In this whiteboard video, Erica Olsen lays out why you should define your competitive advantage and how to do it. In minutes, you can learn how to create or revise this powerful component to your organization’s strategy!

How to make a Mission Statement

How to make a Vision Statement

How to write a Values Statement

How to perform a SWOT Analysis

• Lack of ownership: The most common reason a plan fails is lack of ownership. If people don’t have a stake and responsibility in the plan, it’ll be business as usual for all but a frustrated few.
• Lack of communication: The plan doesn’t get communicated to employees, and they don’t understand how they contribute.
• Getting mired in the day-to-day: Owners and managers, consumed by daily operating problems, lose sight of long-term goals.
• Out of the ordinary: The plan is treated as something separate and removed from the management process.
• An overwhelming plan: The goals and actions generated in the strategic planning session are too numerous because the team failed to make tough choices to eliminate non-critical actions. Employees don’t know where to begin.
• A meaningless plan: The vision, mission, and value statements are viewed as fluff and not supported by actions or don’t have employee buy-in.
• Annual strategy: Strategy is only discussed at yearly weekend retreats.
• Not considering implementation: Implementation isn’t discussed in the strategic planning process. The planning document is seen as an end in itself.
• No progress report: There’s no method to track progress, and the plan only measures what’s easy, not what’s important. No one feels any forward momentum.
• No accountability: Accountability and high visibility help drive change. This means that each measure, objective, data source, and initiative must have an owner.
• Lack of empowerment: Although accountability may provide strong motivation for improving performance, employees must also have the authority, responsibility, and tools necessary to impact relevant measures. Otherwise, they may resist involvement and ownership. It’s easier to avoid pitfalls when they’re clearly identified. Now that you know what they are, you’re more likely to jump right over them!

Want more? Hit up our article on Strategic Implementation.

But how do you ensure something so vital when by definition top management is, well, at the top? We’ve rounded up three different articles from different disciplines that attempt to tackle the issue.

From a Process-Change Management Perspective:

• Show benefits: If you can demonstrate how the approach will help the organisation and the kind of benefits you can obtain, then you will catch the attention of your Senior Managers…
• Explain the concept and how to ensure success: If you understand the concepts, then you have the knowledge to explain how [your planning process] can benefit a company and how to set up for success…
• Understand where it can help: Identifying where to run your projects is vital in any deployment and even more so in the early stages. You must pick projects which are not so easy that any attention would have solved them, or projects which are so big it would be like solving world hunger…
• Understand what motivates your Managers: If you understand the motivations of your management team then you will know what buttons to press to get the concepts accepted… more at ezinearticles

From a Communications Management Perspective:

With a firm eye on the bottom line, top management wants to see financial benefits. Yes, investment is required upfront, but in the not-so-long term, there should be savings as marketing materials are produced faster and more consistently. A challenge for communications and marketing managers is to document results and, wherever possible, show the numbers… more at Eye for Image

From a Marketing Pitch Perspective:

Be calm. Don’t try to “sell” your idea. Stick to discussing the opportunity in a calm, rational way and let the conversation flow. If your managers feel they are being sold an idea, their BS meter may go off. This could really change the direction of the discussion… more at Marketing Inspiration

You may have to try different approaches and borrow from what has worked in other organizations or disciplines, but don’t overlook this essential aspect to your plan- and don’t give up!

If you’d like more information, please browse our archives or check out our additional resources.

In addition, if you have any requests for subjects, please let us know in the comments.

So, about the interview. Two weeks ago at a local coffee shop I bumped into my neighbor, Cameron, who is a stripper- and a quick breakfast conversation ended up turning into an interview on how she’s getting through the downturn. I found what she had to say was especially inspiring for small business people and contractors, but also for managers in general who are starting to feel the pinch and worry about our economic future. Below is an excerpt which she was kind enough to let me print.

MSP: Has the strip club industry seen an impact from the economic downturn? Some may assume that “red light” entertainment would be recession-proof.

It [the economy] has affected us for sure. It’s definitely not recession proof, because we’ve all seen a drop in business.

MSP: What has that done to your club & your competitors?

I’ve seen tons of girls quit. They’re not making as much as they were and they fear it’ll get worse.

MSP: What are you doing that’s keeping you working?

Personally, it hasn’t affected what I take home, because I’ve made adjustments. I’m making the same money but working longer and harder for it. I know this won’t last forever, so it’s worth it for me.

I’m also taking a vacation that I had been putting off. I figure one of the best ways for me to keep up my pace is to stay happy, so I’m going to take some time to relax before I get back to it.

MSP: What advice do you have for other businesses and contractors who are worried about the recession?

First, realize that a lot of what you’re facing is mental. The recession is real, but a lot of the girls I know quit when they could have kept going and stuck it out. You can’t let all the recession-talk get in your head and shake your confidence.

Second, work harder and smarter. I pick up extra shifts sometimes or work a little longer, but with everyone else quitting, that’s actually been helping me. I can keep this up and come out of the downturn doing better.

MSP: Cameron, that’s some sage advice. I really appreciate your perspective and I think others will- especially in a time where people need some reassurance.

You can check out our related articles and tools in MSP’s free Ultimate Recession Proofing Kit by clicking here.

MyStrategicPlan offers its services at a reasonable price point as indicated on their website. Navigating through the web pages, I found the features useful to new entrepreneurs as well as those who have an established web presence. It is surprising how the market has not capitalized on strategic planning tools, which essentially is the backbone of any business. If you have ever asked yourself three questions, “where is my organization now?”, “Where do I want to take it?” and “How will I get there?” then this tool will definitely prove to be a viable solution to your queries.

Head over to StartupBooster here to read the entire review. Thanks Jey and the rest of the team!

Yes, it’s time to break out your goals and see where you are at.

How are you doing? Do you need to step it up, or pat yourself on the back? Whatever the case, if you’ve made a plan and stuck to it, you’re doing the right thing. Now, here’s a few links to mark 2008’s half way point:

• About.com Human Resources: Second Half of the Year Day: How Are You Doing?
• The Contention Movie Reviews: Half-way there: The best and worst of the year so far
• The Tennessean: Halfway through year, Wall Street teeters on bear market
• Nascar: 2008, Half Way to the Finish
• The Beer Advocate: Best of 2008, at the Half Way Mark
• Wikipedia: Halfway, Oregon

Stay tuned for more each week here at mystrategicplan/blog!

Not smart, you say? But you can’t possibly be telling me that a sledge hammer isn’t useful- nearly everyone I know has one. They’re simple and easy to use: lift over your head and bring it down on whatever you need to “fix.” You really can’t get much simpler- and in today’s fast-paced world who has time to learn how to use another tool?

Unfortunately, this is how many businesses today approach strategic planning.

Search for “strategic planning spreadsheet excel” in Google and you’ll get 88,000 results at the time of this writing- and the first result will be an essay extolling the virtues of Excel as a strategic planning tool.

What Excel can’t do for your strategic planning process

• Excel won’t teach you the strategic planning process
• Excel won’t show you how your strategy filters down throughout your company
• Excel doesn’t create outlines
• Excel can not manage your progress
• Excel will not remind you where you’re at
• Excel will not allow you to set user permissions
• Excel isn’t available via the web for you to access night and day from anywhere (at least not the version your company uses)

In his recent post titled “the Spreadsheet Love Affair,” Dennis Howlett at ZDNet sums up some of the dangers of using Excel for uses it was not intended for:

I’ve always held the view that the spreadsheet was never designed for the sophisticated uses to which companies continue to put it. At best it is a development environment that is rarely documented because users are not trained as developers. The net result is that when things go wrong, errors are notoriously difficult to find.

If you are crafting a strategic plan, research the correct tools you should use. Excell works great in the many uses for which it was intended, but it’s no better for strategic planning than a sledgehammer is for your leaky sink.

Incidentally, a search for “sledgehammer leaky faucet” only grabs about 1,500 results; most of them jokes.

The short and sweet premise is that the workforce around the nation, especially the knowledge worker segment, is changing it’s expectations and many workplaces that embrace the change can see a dramatic increase of productivity and employee loyalty. If you care at all about employee engagement, this book seems to be a must-read.

Now, I haven’t had a chance to read the whole book yet (free copy *cough* *cough* I’d love to review it *cough* *cough*), but the first chapter is free to download at the authors’ website, caliandjody.com.

How do the authors claim the workplace is changing? Smart employers are realizing that employees aren’t satisfied with traditional ideas about work/life balance and traditions that they believe add little value- like the traditional 8-5 workday. To adjust to these changes, the authors developed ROWE: the Results-Oriented Workplace Environment, which most-notably has been instituted at Best Buy, where the authors developed the program.

A fantastic example of the thoughts in the book are expressed in an interview at Ferris’s site, concerning a subject the authors call “Sludge.”

Sludge is when someone says, “10:00 a.m. and you’re just getting in? I wish I could come in late every day.” The belief being expressed here is that work happens between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The person who isn’t in the building at 8:00 a.m. is therefore not working.

Of course, to a certain extent, we’re all knowledge workers now. The person could have been at home coming up with the next great idea. Yet they’re being slammed based not on what they produced, but where their body was at 8:05 a.m. It’s ridiculous.

Throughout what I’ve seen about ROWE, there’s a common call to give up tracking people’s time and forcing them into a traditional schedule filled with meetings and micro-management, and instead letting them know what results are needed and giving them the freedom to accomplish their tasks.

I can’t wait to grab a copy of this book- ROWE looks like the key to employee engagement that the current workforce is looking for, and what many workers will soon be demanding from their employers. Would your workplace be able to pull it off?

1. Insist on doing everything through “channels.” Never permit short-cuts to be taken in order to expedite decisions.
2. Make “speeches.” Talk as frequently as possible and at great length. Illustrate your “points” by long anecdotes and accounts of per­sonal experiences.
3. Never hesitate to make a few appropriate “patriotic” comments.
4. When possible, refer all matters to committees, for “further study and considera­tion.” Attempt to make the committees as large as possible — never less than five.
5. Bring up irrelevant issues as frequently as possible.
6. Haggle over precise wordings of com­munications, minutes, resolutions.
7. Refer back to matters decided upon at the last meeting and attempt to re-open the question of the advisability of that decision.
8. Advocate “caution.” Be “reasonable” and urge your fellow-conferees to be “reason­able” and avoid haste which might result in embarrassments or difficulties later on.
9. Be worried about the propriety of any decision — raise the question of whether such action as is contemplated lies within the juris­diction of the group or whether it might conflict with the policy of some higher echelon.

Eerily familiar, no?

You may (or may not) be surprised to find out that these actually come from a 1944 publication titled “Simple Sabotage Field Manual” presented by the US Office of Strategic Services (a proto-CIA).

So, how well are you doing at sabotaging your business?

Found via boingboing.net. Original manual PDF link here.

The release, titled “Small Business Owner Optimism at Five-Year Low” says that the latest 35 point drop in the Small Business Index brings it to an all-time low, spelling out major concerns for businesses. What are the major worries?

• Small business owners’ present revenue situation
• Future expectations for cash flow and financial situation

According to Wells Fargo’s senior economist, this doesn’t speak well for a swift recovery from our current course. On a positive note though, the report did mention that while business owners are concerned about their future, they feel successful.

So, What Does this Mean?

• If you’re a small business owner: Having a plan you can act on is imperative. Your strategic plan wasn’t likely crafted during a downturn, so a recession-plan is essential right now. Visit MSP’s free recession planning toolkit for more info.
• If you market to small business owners: Let them know you’re here to help them make it through this downturn. Any message of security or loyalty is welcome during a downturn
• If you’re a friend to a business owner: Buy them a beer & do your best to spread the word about them. There’s no better time to be supporting our local small businesses!

Like we’ve said, this downturn will pass- but very few of us will get through it without having to make quick decisions and some pretty tough ones. Having a great plan in place now is the best step you can take for your organization.

Photo by jurvetson