Implementing smarter actions

It is one thing to come up with great ideas, but you also need a good action plan. Here again expanding our thinking must continue into implementation. Managers often make the mistake of leaving their creativity behind when it comes to key milestones, actions and responsibilities. Done well, action planning and review is where the majority of our most critical part of business learning takes place.

For me, giving myself permission to undertake different approaches to planning has dramatically improved my expertise, confidence and success in achieving goals, while also learning more. It also helps remove much of the pain, struggle and anguish from the more ambitious goals that are faced.

One such approach is called Backwards Planning. Assuming I want to learn how to create a home page on the World Wide Web, there are a series of incremental steps that need to be followed in order to achieve that goal. Starting at the end point “ a completed home page on the World Wide Web “ you list actions and outcomes in reverse order from completion to the start.

Let us say over a thirty-day period you make comments every five days (that is, day 25, day 20, day 15, and so on). You then list observable actions at each of these days. Of course, the time frames will vary depending on the project but the idea of Backwards Planning will remain . For example, when I was completing the second draft for this book, I gave myself eight days between 23 December and 7 January. I then mapped out a measurable plan to achieve my goal, while also finding time for other parts of my life over the Christmas and New Year period.

As well as developing a carefully crafted plan, it is also helpful to have checks and balances to ensure that you are not falling into the trap of jumping into quick-fix solutions. So, instead of racing into premature action without thinking, you may need to stop and ponder before proceeding. Questions that can help to expand your thinking here include:

How would you describe what you are trying to solve or fix?
What are the consequences of the current situation?
What is your desired outcome?
What is your normal or quick-fix solution to this situation?
What could be the negative and positive consequences of taking this action?
Given this observation, how would you redefine your solution or strategy?