Practicing what we preach
- Kara Holm
- Jan 14, 2017
- 3 min read
Happy New Year readers!
Over the course of the last few weeks. Helen and I have been spending some time practicing what we preach. We have been engaged with business planning for All-In, and with Shawn, for Play the Field. The work we do for both companies is complementary, but it takes forethought to ensure that we are devoting enough time to each individual activity, and to identify areas where we can realize efficiencies and places we need to give focused attention. Through our efforts, we are reminded that the time we spend ensuring we are on the right path is an investment, not a distraction or an expense.
Helen started All-In in June of 2015 and we established Play the Field in August of 2016, and already we have pivoted, or said another way re-aligned, in response to the many things we have learned along the way. We tell our clients that a business plan is a snapshot of your enterprise and understanding at a moment of time, and a framework for decision-making. A business plan should be a living, breathing document, not a decoration in your office. A business plan is something that needs to be front of mind as you operate, understood by your team and something you can adapt for the realities of your business as they unfold. Let’s face it, things change. Not all your assumptions are correct. New opportunities may emerge. Our advice, is not abstract, it comes from our own experience as business owners and entrepreneurs.
Our New Year planning efforts have given us focus and clarity about our approach to the year ahead. The exercise has been a good reminder of why clients can find it hard to act on advice that they think is helpful. When you are in the middle of daily operations, planning may seem like a distraction rather than a way of improving your effectiveness. Having emerged again from the planning activities, I feel positive and in control. Aware of what I know, what I need to do and where I need to learn.
We hope you have used the calendar New Year to think about the year ahead and map out your personal and professional objectives, and a path forward to realizing these. So this week’s advice:
Take some time to think about:
Where you want to go,
Why you think it’s a good idea to move in that direction,
The barriers to achieving your objectives,
The opportunities that can help you succeed, and
How you can activate the opportunities and remove the barriers.
If you have a plan, dust it off and do a check in. Are you keeping to your plan? Why or why not? If not are your reasons really excuses?
Without a plan, businesses just react to circumstances. Being reactive is not a recipe for success.
Continuing stories….
Did you see the headlines about Fiat Chrysler’s illegal emission tests?
From The New York Times, January 12, 2017: "E.P.A. Accuses Fiat Chrysler of Secretly Violating Emissions Standards."
We predicted – back in our September blog of 2015 – that VW was not the only auto manufacturer that was tricking the system: see our blog “Das Awful? VW, Social Licence & Public Trust.”
More proof that everyone lies (the fictional Dr. House, played by Hugh Laurie, was correct).
In December of 2015 we wrote a blog called “Everybody lies & other things I learned from Dr. House,” that explores the impact of the human tendency to play fast and loose with the truth on research outcomes. The blog includes some interesting points that can be considered in relation to the “surprise” outcomes of the 2016 Brexit vote and US Presidential election.
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