Turning Business Planning from a chore to a joy….

Let’s be candid, the idea of Business Planning for most business owners generates the same excitement as the words, ‘diet, moderation in all things and regular exercise’.

You know they’re good for you, you should be doing them regularly, it makes perfect sense and yet you don’t stick with them. Instead you become a master of finding other things to do that feel better in the short term and you can justify to yourself.

What if there was a way to get all the benefits of planning and enjoy it?

How would that transform your business?

First, let’s clear the decks, the excuses you create for avoiding planning include:

You’re too busy.

It takes too long.

It’s out of date as soon as it’s done.

Nobody reads them anyway, so why bother?

You know what you need to do, you’re doing it anyway.

The only time you usually ‘plan’ is when you need somebody else’s money, you’ll do it grudgingly but you’d rather find another way.

You suspect everyone knows all of the above and it’s just a tick box exercise, so they can justify the decision they were going to make anyway!

In short, it’s a benefit for someone else and a chore for you.

How different does being well prepared feel to planning?

Prepared feels in control, excited, confident, looking forward to good things, nothing’s going to stop you.

Bet it hurts when you remember the times you weren’t prepared. The dreadful dawning realisation, the sense of loss and possibly even the public humiliation.

Why is it such a joy being well prepared and yet planning leaves you cold? 

Here are the secret six.

Purpose

Probabilities

People

Proactive

Pace

Pay the Price.

This is where the difference lies.

When you were well prepared you were clear about the Purpose of the meeting, project or deal and you were focussed on a time when it was going to happen.

You weighed up all the Probabilities of what could happen and how you would respond to each scenario.

You’d considered the People on your team and the other People involved. You considered your team’s strengths and skills and what was important to all the players involved, you sought understanding.

You were Proactive in the process. You didn’t wait for things to happen to you or be paralysed by the things you didn’t know or couldn’t control.

You moved at Pace, not reckless abandon but with momentum and rhythm, using your clear Purpose to direct you.

Finally you Paid the Price, not in money, but in commitment. To yourself, the team, the new learning and to the practice. You put in the hours and did what it took. You felt good, because the Purpose of your actions was connected to an outcome you were passionate about.

You paid the price, did the work, got the results.

Having read this far you’re probably thinking you want a better prepared business.

How did that happen? Was it as straightforward as shifting your perspective?

Did you just need to change one P word for another?

Business Preparing is Planning with joy…and we all prefer being well prepared compared to the alternative.