Focus on the things that are important to the growth of your business
If your organization is struggling to drive growth or to navigate change, agile business planning could be the tool you need to grow and develop. Agile business planning helps your business to focus on key objectives and ensures that those objectives are effectively communicated, tracked and (most importantly) implemented.
For leaders trying to effect change and drive growth in pursuit of longer-term goals, getting things done is often difficult. They face a persistent challenge: reconciling the seemingly limitless array of things that they could do, against what limited resources (i.e. time, money, people) will allow them to do.
Unfortunately, losing sight of longer-term objectives can be fatal. Companies fall victim to ‘short-termism’, their focus monopolized by day-to-day, operational matters to the detriment of longer term priorities. Others succumb to complacency, with parts of their business unconvinced of the need for change or sure that growth can be deferred. These companies risk being by left behind by changes in their market(s) or outrun by other companies that can outcompete them.
Business planning is, or should be, the go-to tool for identifying, tracking and implementing key objectives. Planning bridges the company’s long-term goals (i.e. where it wants to be in, say, 10) and its day-to-day operational planning that focuses on winning, executing and getting paid for work.
The traditional approach to business planning where a business produces a detailed, static plan that is time-consuming to produce and captures a long list of often aspirational objectives is fast falling out of favor, replaced by a more agile, focused and technology-enabled approach. There is renewed interest in so called management by objectives, which Peter Drucker first popularized in the 1950s. This movement, embodied in use of ‘OKR’ (short for objectives and key results), particularly amongst large corporations – is in turn driven by a recognition that a business’s resources, especially its people, best support growth and development when focused on a limited set of clear, well communicated and actionable goals that are aligned with long term objectives.
Technology is a key ingredient of modern business planning. A cloud-based business planning tool like Business Sorter allows the business planning objectives to be easily shared across an organization, overcoming time differences, a lack of IT integration, etc.
Planning… Reinvented
Focus
Focus your organization’s scarce resources (time, money, people) on a small number of key objectives that are clear, measurable and align with your strategy and long term vision for the business
Implement
Use Implement key objectives by identifying supporting actions/initiatives which, in turn, are implemented via specific tasks assigned to individuals across the organization. Management carefully track progress, revise the plan as necessary and holding the responsible for tasks to account
Engage
Share the plan across your organization and then use it as a tool to align management on priorities, and to ensure that employees understand longer term business objectives as well as their role in achieving those
Succeed
Businesses that use a structured planning process have been shown time and again to enjoy better business performance than those that do not
even minimal use of [Key Objectives] led to higher levels of performance, including an 8.5% increase in hourly sales at a call center and an 11.5% increase in the chance of high performance across their corporate associate population
Ken Lemorte (reported) – research IN Sears Holding Company ON THE IMPACT OF USING FOCUSED OBJECTIVES ON 20,000 SALES ASSOCIATES
How CNP Can Help
Concept and Perspective (CNP) can help:
- evaluate the effectiveness of your current business planning efforts
- plan and implement an agile, focused and technology-enabled business planning process across all, or part, of your organization
- facilitate your planning sessions for you
- train your team members on business planning facilitation
- select and then implement a cloud-based business planning tool like Business Sorter
We provide pragmatic advice and practical support. Engage us to work alongside or as part of a team with your professionals and other external advisors. We are a flexible, cost-efficient resource: use us as much as you need (but not more!).
Get in Touch Today
chrisperfect@conceptandperspective.com
Cell: (+1) 281 435 8974
LinkedIn: //www.linkedin.com/in/chrisperfect
Chris Perfect
Owner and Principal Consultant
Passionate about helping businesses to grow and to navigate complexity, change and risk, Chris draws on a wealth of ‘corporate development’ experience
Chris helps businesses with planning, strategy, acquisitions & divestitures, M&A integration, joint ventures, corporate law, ethics & compliance, commercial contracts, corporate treasury, corporate governance, leadership alignment and organizational development
Based in Houston (TX), Chris has previously worked in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Hungary and China. Chris works with many overseas businesses looking to enter or grow in the U.S. market. In recognition of this expertise, Chris was appointed to NZTE’s beachhead advisor program in June 2020
Chris’s experience includes 10 years working for global energy services business Wood Plc in a range of senior of Strategy, M&A, Governance, Legal and Compliance roles. Prior to that Chris worked for UK national law firm Mills & Reeve LLP as corporate legal counsel for more than 5 years
Let’s work together to get your business’s focus back on growth.
Concept and Perspective 