The fifth project in the Competent Leadership manual from Toastmaster's International is titled Planning and Implementation. This project outlines what planning is and how planning assists leadership; the project also quizzes you on how well you plan, and provides good advice on how to plan, and how to implement a plan.
What Planning is
Planning is the thinking which precedes the work. If properly done, planning can yield many positive results, including:
A plan provides direction for the leader and the team. The planning process involves setting goals and objectives, and preparing plans and schedules to accomplish them. The process forces leaders to look beyond their everyday activities and think about what they want to happen in the future. Involving team members in the process encourages commitment (Toastmasters International, Competent Leader)
What Planning is
Planning is the thinking which precedes the work. If properly done, planning can yield many positive results, including:
- Making leaders future-oriented. Leaders will be forced to look beyond their everyday activities to think about the future.
- Allows leaders to coordinate decisions. With planning, leaders can coordinate and consider the effects or impacts of possible decisions on the future.
- Reinforces original goals. Since the starting point of a plan is a goal or goals, plans help to reinforce what the organization is trying to achieve ("keeping the goal in mind").
How to Plan & Implement
The planning and implementation process can be broken down into five steps (according to TI):
- Determine Goals -- A goal is a clearly written statement that communicates the results you want to achieve. It specifies what and when, but NOT why or how.
- Establish Strategies -- List the specific steps or tasks which must be taken to achieve the goal.
- Set a timetable -- Make a list of tasks according to their priorities, and establish deadlines for completion of each task.
- Assign Responsibilities -- Delegate tasks to your team, while being clear about what you want each person to do. Consider each person's skills, and assign tasks to people which make use of their skills.
- Anticipate Obstacles -- Anticipate problems beforehand, and turn them into possibilities; obstacles will motivate creative thinking, if analyzed beforehand.
Developing commitment in your team is also important; people are usually more likely to commit to a goal when they have been involved from its creation. Involvement will make them feel responsible for results.
Communication
The last piece of the puzzle; you must communicate the goal to team members in a manner which excites and motivates them. Explain:
- How their work contributes to the achievement of the goal, and
- How they will benefit by reaching the goal.
Then, ask them for ideas and comments.
To facilitate communication and ensure the work proceeds according to plan, you will need a communications system in place for gathering, processing, and transmitting information within the team.
As work proceeds, you will need to continually monitor the team's progress as well, to see what the team is doing well and discover any problems as they arise.
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