Five frogs are sitting on a log. Four decide to jump off.
How many are left?
Answer: Five.
WHY? Because there’s a difference between deciding and doing
Mark L. Feldman & Michael F. Spratt
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DECIDING AND DOING
You have done it. You have a plan. You’ve outlined priorities; you know what has to get done to reach the goal. You are at the “go” point when you start getting nervous.
Ok, so JUMP!
Sure, except. . . “Where am I going to find the time? …What if I am not good enough? …What if the plan fails? Or, ….WHAT IF THE PLAN TAKES OFF?”
Welcome to the critical place where many plans hit a crossroad.
A plan – whether it’s on paper, buried somewhere in your PC, or simply in your mind – may capture your vision and detail the steps to make your dreams come true, but if you don’t act on it, it is destined to be just a record of what “might have been”.
None of the steps in the strategic planning process is as vital as that of taking a plan forward and making it work.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUCCESS AND STUCK
“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward.” Amelia Earhart
When the goal is to swim in a new direction, the difference between success and ‘stuck’ likely involves change.
They tell us it takes 21 days to break an old habit, and 65 days to establish a new one! The basic truth is – change isn’t easy. We regularly travel nicely established paths formed by our habits. To forge new roads, our old habits need to be replaced. Unfortunately we get used to doing it one way for so long, it becomes comfortable. The transition period during any change initiative is usually uncomfortable – and it is hard to get out of a familiar, comfortable place.
Another reason that it is hard to change habits is that we forget to. You have to have reminders around during a transition period, or you probably won’t remember.
The truth is that even the most self-determined, energetic, ‘take charge’ types of people who are good at getting things done, find it hard to change habits on their own.
Seeing the results of a change initiative can take time. It takes personal courage to get up each morning and say ‘I am going to do what I know it takes’. Keeping an eye on even the most compelling vision takes commitment.
INCREASING THE ODDS
If follow-through is the hard part for you or your team, acknowledge it, and build in a safety net!
An unbiased business partner or coach can make it possible to help you put the discipline in place that will make change possible. While most of us can benefit from an objective opinion and another point of view, one of the most beneficial roles of a coach is to serve as a reminder of what YOU KNOW you need to do. A competent, compatible business partner can be an advocate, encouraging you to sustain the right mindset, help you figure out how to overcome obstacles, and hold you accountable to achieving what you desire.
EVALUATION, FLEXIBILITY and MAINTAINING MOMENTUM
Evaluation is the process of measuring success. If your strategic plan is well-conceived, it will be invaluable for measuring success. Part of a good planning process includes deciding up front what you want to see as a result, how you wmll measure success, who will evaluate it, and when.
No matter how much planning one does, unforeseen events will occur. Things will happen that may make it advisable for you to change one or more parts of your plan. Planning for flexibility is important. When you are confronted with such a change in circumstances, you’ll need to carefully review the plan to see if it still represents what you want, what you need, and how to get there.
READY, SET, GO
Where are you in the planning process? If you are ready to move forward but are having a bit of trouble taking the leap, enlist help! The right support structure can assist you to jumpstart the process, evaluate progress, celebrate success, and if necessary revise the plan. If you are serious about seeing your plans come to life, find a partner to assist and . . . GO FOR IT!
Author: Helene Mazur, Founder of Princeton Performance Dynamics
As a coach and strategic planning facilitator for the past 16 years, Helene has helped a wide range of leaders in business make strategic shifts in the face of new realities. Working with business owners, leaders in organizations, teams, and independent professionals both one-on-one and in facilitated workshop and planning engagements, her clients have gained clarity, strengthened skills and strategies, and are spending more time doing the things that make them come alive. The bottom line outcomes- new levels of personal, professional and organizational success.
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