Strategy, planning and action seem to wrap up in organic sort of bundle that help us create change.
Maybe we want to start a health or movement journey, maybe grow a business…
Either way, we need to take our best shot at establishing “right action,” allocate this action to a person within a timeframe, and then actually take action.
So, what are the most common ways to destroy the process?
- Missing alignment on the big vision. What’s the “why” here, and is everyone on board?
- Screwing up the strategy or ideation – too few or too many people in the room, heirarchical dominance (always present), choosing the wrong room, or poor session flow can all curb the ideation process and shut down ideas with great merit.
- Spending too much time on planning – “mental gymnastics,” or playing out every scenario against every other scenario. Sometimes necessary, sure, but often driven by a goal that is too big and is creating a fear of starting.
- Not being clear on expectations – the planning phase. Who is going to deliver what? If it’s not clear, then it’s usually a subconscious block against moving forward. The project will stall.
- Dropping communication. Chances are, you’re not going alone. Therefore, communication is a key driver for change. If comms drop, then so does progress.
- Not factoring in challenges. There. Will. Be. Hurdles. People will say “no,” things will break, systems will fail… What mindset do we need when this happens that will allow us to forge ahead?
Figuring out a direction to head, getting the wheels turning and then keeping them turning as you adjust the steering all sounds pretty simple.
Sometimes anticipating where some of the difficulties will stem from (at a human level) can help us to cover our bases before we even begin.
