WHEN A PLAN IS NOT A PLAN!

The president/owner of the organization stood to address his employees in a staff meeting.

“I am happy to tell you today that I have decided to implement a retirement program for all the employees who have been with the organization for more than seven years. When you retire, depending upon how long you’ve been with the organization, you will receive up to two-thirds of your salary and full medical coverage. That’s my decision!”

The response of the staff was spontaneous and enthusiastic…they were overjoyed!

Eight months later the first employee to have been with the company long enough to qualify for the retirement program was ready to retire. He excitedly went to the Human Resources office to find out exactly how much he would be receiving in his retirement package.

The embarrassed HR director had to tell him that while the owner had publicly made the statement about establishing the retirement plan, nothing had been done to actually put the retirement and benefits package in place.

The puzzled and disappointed employee said, “But the boss said that he had decided to do this!”
Unfortunately, Mr. Fictitious, the owner, had expressed his good intention but had never followed through. The lesson for all of us is: “A good intention is not a decision and a good intention is not a plan.”

Here are the simple steps to follow to make sure that every decision is a decision and that every plan is actually a plan.

STEP ONE: Write down the decision.
Put the decision and the initial implementation plan in written form that you can regularly review and improve on, and get others to work on it, too. You are creating your initial action plan.

STEP TWO: Who needs to know?
When Step One is complete, then the next step is determining who needs to know. Get the information about the plan/decision to everybody that needs to know. Each person that needs to know the plan also needs to know what is expected of them, what action is to be taken.

STEP THREE: Set a date to have the plan implemented?

What is the timeframe for accomplishing the plan? Ideally, when should it be complete and implemented? Set a date for complete implementation and interim dates for review of progress. As a leader, you have to be willing to hold staff accountable in meeting deadlines.

STEP FOUR: What resources will it take to implement this decision?

What resources need to be committed to this plan to see that it is implemented and done properly? This includes people, finances, equipment, office space. In other words, everything that is going to be needed to see that the decision is implemented correctly. More good plans fail because of the failure to follow through on steps two, three and four than for all other reasons combined.

STEP FIVE: Feedback.

Build into the plan a system for you to get feedback to see what progress is being made and that it is being done according to the plan, within the cost specifications, and in the time allotted. If all else fails, go and look for yourself. The feedback should include a regular schedule of reports that accurately show what progress is being made, and if deadlines are being met. Do not take the reports at face value but check on things yourself to see what progress is being made and if specific areas need more help.

A good intention is not a plan; a plan is not a decision until it is fully implemented!