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Welcome to the
Next Step Solutions E-Newsletter!
 Dear Margaret,
The rain is just
beginning to clear as I write this. We have had a wet winter so far! My
heart goes out to the many people who lost homes and businesses in the
recent floods. It has been heartening to hear the many stories about
generous gifts of assistance many received.
That spirit of giving is certainly in tune with this
wonderful Christmas season, especially when we can focus on the joy of
the gift, rather than the mad rush to buy. My advice, which I take to
heart myself, is to give yourself permission to skip some of those
preparations in favor of time to enjoy the season itself, especially time
with family and friends.
Then, once you catch your breath after the holidays, you
will be refreshed and ready to tackle the new year! This issue of our
newsletter is focused on taking stock and planning. It's not easy to take
a step back, assess, and consciously plan for the future, but my
experience tells me over and over again that it will make a significant
difference in your success in the New Year.
So, I hope you will find the thoughts expressed here useful
in the New Year and that you and your business will have a fabulously
successful 2008. In the meantime, we at Next Step Solutions wish you a
safe, happy, family-friend-fun-filled time over the Holidays. Merry
Christmas and, with thanks to Dickens and Tiny Time, "God bless us,
every one!"
Setting your
sights on 2008
by Margaret and
Dennis Purvine
 As already mentioned above, it is really
difficult for a busy business owner to stop for a moment, take stock of
where you are, and do some serious planning for the future. However, even
if you are a company of one, it is a critical activity we urge you to
consider.
You will be more successful with any planning effort by
having a process. Here are the steps we take when going through this
activity ourselves. Begin by determining where you are now. How well did
your business perform in 2007? Look at the financial statements. Make a
list of major projects tackled during the year and analyze their success.
If they were successful, understand why. Your goal is to make success a repeatable
process, so you need to understand what to repeat. If a project was not
successful, again consider why. What went wrong and how would you change
things next time to turn the situation around?
Now it's time to consider 2008. What do you wish to accomplish?
Determine your goals for the new year. Consider them carefully and make
sure they are realistic. You want to stretch, but not to the point of
breaking. Prioritize your goals and give them a timetable. According to
author Napoleon Hill, a goal is a dream with a deadline.
With your goals in place, it's time to lay out specific
plans to reach your goals. Identify the tasks that must be performed in
order to reach your desired destination. Then, make sure to assign a
responsible person to the task and a due date. With someone on the line
and a scheduled date in place, actually finishing the task is far more
likely.
Document your plans and share them with all participants.
Remember, however, that a good plan is a living document, meant to be
used and modified as conditions change, not a fancy book enshrined in
dusty magnificence on a bookshelf somewhere in your office.
Finally, revisit the plan on a regular basis during the
year. Assess progress and measure it against your goals. Celebrate
successes and analyze and address problems. Modify the plan if
appropriate and, once again, make sure all players are informed. This
activity will help keep you and your team focused.
This process has proven itself over many years, for us and
for our clients. There are many more details involved, details that can
be modified for different situations, but the general model stands.
Determine current status, establish goals, develop specific plans,
measure and modify as you go, keep the team focused on ultimate goals, and
celebrate your successes. With this in mind, have an exciting and
successful New Year in 2008!
How to run a
successful planning session
by Margaret
Purvine
 Great planning sessions don't just happen.
In fact, too many planning sessions, and meetings in general, are deadly
dull time wasters. I spent nearly twenty years at IBM, where most of
January was spent in long planning sessions. I am convinced I learned how
to run meetings by taking over in fits of sheer frustration and boredom,
and attempting to get things done.
I've had some more formal training in meeting facilitation
since then, but the rules I learned in the Meeting School of Hard Knocks
still stand me in good stead. Let me share them with you. Since our
newsletter subject is planning sessions, I will focus on that type of
meeting. However, many of these same principles apply to any meeting.
First and foremost, if you want to ensure a successful
planning session, use a facilitator. The biggest reason I see critical
planning efforts fail is ignoring the importance of running the meeting
itself. This won't just happen. It is a learned and practiced skill. So,
assign the task of managing the meeting to someone who has the
appropriate knowledge. You may have the luxury of having someone on your
staff who can take on this critical role. If so, great. Make sure that
running the meeting is the only responsibility the facilitator has. If
you need the person's expertise to contribute to the meeting, better to
hire an outside facilitator.
Second, plan for the planning session. I know this sounds a
little redundant, but it is a critical component. Work with the
facilitator to make sure your goals for the session are fully understood.
Determine who should be there. You will need key employees and maybe
outside advisors. Include whoever has the expertise needed to address
issues and goals so your plans will have a reality check. Make sure plans
for the meeting are communicated to all attendees ahead of time. Give
everyone time to do their own mental preparation. Encourage all
participants to bring their ideas. A planning session is a great
opportunity to consider all types of input, without pre-judging. Your
pre-meeting communications with your "troops" can lay the
groundwork for a very creative and successful planning effort.
Third, especially for a planning session, hold it off site.
You will get more done and be in the right frame of mind for serious
planning if you are not being interrupted by phones and daily office
crises. It isn't necessary to go far, although sometimes it's nice to do
so. What is needed is a conference room large enough to accommodate your
team, appropriate supplies (flip charts, pens, tape), and appropriate
refreshments. Have everyone turn off cell phones!
Finally, make sure everyone receives a copy of the plan
document after the meeting. Establish a schedule for followup meetings in
order to assess progress against the goals established. Measuring,
monitoring, and refocusing on goals during the year will keep your team
focused and success more likely.
Special offer
for our eNews Readers!
Teleseminar -
January 8, 2008
To start the New
Year with a bang, we will be offering our popular seminar, The
Purpose-Driven Business, on January 8, 2008. To make it simple, we are
offering it as a teleseminar. Specific details - time and call-in numbers
- will be coming soon. By the way, if you have a preference on time of
day, please tell us.
Normally, this teleseminar costs $29.95. For our readers, we
are offering the opportunity to tune in at no charge. It's one way we can
say thank you for your interest and your subscription. If you are
interested in joining us, please send an email to
info@nextstepsolutions.com and we will make sure you are included on our
list of attendees!
Free Resources
from Next Step
Quotes from
movers and shakers
"In preparing
for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is
indispensible."
Dwight David Eisenhower (1890 - 1969) U.S. general and
president.
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