A Focused, Realistic Annual Plan – ElPropósito3 min de lectura

How to build your Strategic Plan around a Purpose

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

Every year around this time, I kick off my Strategic Planning Process. It gives me an annual plan with everything I hope to achieve, the tasks ahead and the paths I might take. Above all, it tells me where to focus my resources, time and effort. Read on to learn more and see how it can work for you.

Every person and organization should have a Strategic Planning Process. Any plan beats no plan. In times as volatile and unpredictable as these, knowing where to aim is essential. Resources are limited, and we can’t afford to waste time and effort.

We all want to make the right decisions, ones that lead to a better future and, above all, actually get carried out. Sadly, in environments that change this fast, that doesn’t happen, and it never will again. To cope, you need a plan you review regularly so you can adjust it or, at worst, overhaul it.

Every Strategic Plan should start by understanding the current situation, the environment and the changes ahead. What external forces affect, or will affect, where I stand today and tomorrow? Think artificial intelligence, digitalization, blockchain and deep technological shifts. To keep the final plan realistic, every year I map my Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT). Above all, it shows me which weaknesses to tackle. Usually that means a training course, a seminar or a subject I need to research in depth.

To turn this into goals, I look at each area of my life to see exactly where it stands and where I’d like it to be (in an organization, this maps neatly onto understanding the value chain, where it is today and where it’s headed). I write each goal so it captures the results and targets I want within a set time. Some I want to see in the first quarter, others by mid-year and some over the longer run, one or two years out.

Last but not least, one vital step boosts the plan’s odds of success: communication. I like to hear from my inner circle, my wife and friends. As best I can, I explain in plain terms what’s been on my mind and is now on paper. That gives me fresh perspectives and advice, lets me make the adjustments I need and, above all, wins me the support to carry out the plan.

Tracking the plan, correcting course and staying firm and focused will probably be the subject of another post. Meanwhile, some questions to reflect on: What does your planning process look like? How much would your wellbeing grow if, at year’s end, you saw something you dreamed of a year earlier come true? What would happen if you focused all your efforts on reaching your Purpose?

Warm regards and all the best,

Rodrigo Baccaro

P.S. This week’s VELA:

• What I’ve been Viewing: For your child, playing is as important as learning. How every human being, at any age, learns through play. What a video, absolutely worth watching. Thank God I discovered Andre Stern and his father, Arno Stern.
• What I’ve been Listening to: How to disagree productively and find common ground. What I liked: how to separate people from ideas and find common ground so you can understand both points of view with empathy.
• What I’ve been Reading: The Emotionally Intelligent Leader. A wonderful book by Daniel Goleman, well worth reading. There’s a lot of talk about this skill for children and adults alike. I loved how simply it’s written and, above all, its core message: this great skill develops over time, with lots of feedback and practice, lots of practice.
• What I’ve been Learning: The semiology of expression. After watching Arno Stern’s video, I was amazed by our genetic makeup and the many ways it expresses itself. One of them stays constant, and the author uncovers it through drawing.

Author: Rodrigo Baccaro

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