It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link of the chain of destiny can be handled at a time. Winston Churchill
You probably know by now that I’m a huge believer in having a business plan. It makes you think through the validity of your idea, your goals and strategy as well as addressing the practical start up and day to day operations of your venture. It makes you face the risks and answer them clearly. If you can write a business plan and still want to move your business forward, you know you’ve found something worthy of your effort.
Once you’ve faced the long term strategy and goal setting, it’s time to concentrate on the short term actions. I equate this to taking a trip across the country. You look at the map; take note of where you are and where your destination is. Then, you focus in and build your route, day by day, city by city. You always have that destination in mind but you get very clear on where you are one day and where you need to be the next.
I think this is where I diverge a little from conventional teachings on reaching your goals: I believe in being flexible and experiencing the ride. This sounds strange I’m sure, coming from someone who pushes checklists, templates, plans and process so much. Let me explain. If you are focussed too far ahead or too rigidly on the form, you will miss opportunities that could get you to the goal more efficiently, present new goals or provide better results.
Checklists, plans and templates are what you build when you want to organize your thoughts and ensure you focus your attention on the information and actions required to accomplish a task or project. I focus on these tools because many businesses – more so the smaller ones – have little operational structure at all. They work daily in a state of chaos and in reaction mode. Tools such as plans and templates allow you the freedom of being able to look up and possibly see a new challenge or opportunity coming your way. While I strongly encourage the use of these tools, I equally encourage staying flexible with them. By this I mean altering them when they are no longer effective; some will be discarded as the work becomes second nature to you and new ones will be built as your business evolves.
How disappointed would you be upon reaching your destination to look back at the map and realize you missed several chances to see stunning attractions only minutes off the road you were on? For the sake of following your plan or reaching your goal by a certain time, you missed the ride. Goals and strategy, plans and templates are fundamental building blocks of your business but if you don’t enjoy the scenery or opportunities presented along the way – what’s it all for?
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