Why you want to write an annual plan 👉 (1/5)
You want to start work in January knowing what your business will look like in December.
And you want everybody who works for you and with you to know it too.
It’s easier to plan your actions and strategies if you know where you want to go.
Annual planning is a thought process. It involves picturing the future and deciding what you want it to be. And once that image looks good to you, set a course for your business to get there, by asking:
Where are we going?
It is said that “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity”*.
This is the preparation part.
Without a plan, you are showing up to work each day to get that day’s work done.
When you have a plan, you show up to work every day to get closer to your goal.
And when you know your goal, you also know when an opportunity can move you closer.
Are we on the right route?
My favorite part of annual planning is setting progress points.
An annual plan is not just about the December destination. The important parts are the March, June, and September progress posts. Or February, April, June, August, and October progress posts.
Regular business check-ins are part of the time you spend working on your business – rather than in it – to determine if you are doing the right things and moving closer to that goal.
What if they close the road?
Anything can happen.
An accident, an avalanche, or a weather event. And now the road you had planned to travel is no longer accessible.
No worries.
You know where you are going. You can find another way to get there.
Or you can decide that given these changes, another destination is better, and will still get you the same mission results.
Can everybody get there?
If you have a group of cars driving towards a common destination, you could try to not tell them where they are going or how to get there and simply say “Follow me”.
Or you could tell them where they are going, why, and what your preferred route is. That way if you lose them on the road somewhere, you all still know where you are going.
What next
Follow the next four weeks of content to learn:
- How to pick your annual goals
- How to write your annual plan
- How to share your plan with your team
- How to get your team to buy in to the mission
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