Go THAT Way
by Jan Bolick
November 2007
It’s a peppy Carolina cheer - simple and clear.
Go THAT way - babababababum
Go THAT way - babababababum
Imagine your favorite football team going on the field this weekend - unsure of which way to go.
Imagine there were no goalposts or yardlines or scoreboard or timeclock.
That’s perfect for the game we play in the front yard on Thanksgiving Day. Are you like me on this? You want to win for the sake of bragging rights, but mostly you want to have fun and burn off the stuffing and pie you ate so you can eat more.
But what if your favorite high school, college or professional team went out to play on that same unmarked, unaccessorized field?
No plays or positions.
The ball is snapped. Everyone goes out for a pass. Or just stands there waiting for someone else to run or pass the ball.
They run all over the field. In different directions. Not sure where they are going or if they get there.
With no plan, the same thing can happen in business. Everyone runs around or just stands there. No one sure where they are going – or if they ever get there.
It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day activities - reacting, instead of proactively planning and setting up systems, processes, roles and responsibilities needed to handle the business.
In a Business Class interview, Berkeley Grimball, owner of the highly successful Grimball Jewelers in Chapel Hill, NC, shared with me that a turning point in his business was when he hired a bookkeeper. As a result, the financial systems for his business improved. And letting go of that responsibility – gave him time to PLAN.
Time to plan. Time to think about where you are and where you want to be. Time to write it down.
Don’t have time for that?
You don't have to write pages and pages with charts and graphs. Just a page will do as long as it makes the goal(s) and roles clear.
Still don’t have time?
What about this week?
Where do you want to be by the end of this week?
What does each person need to do to get you there?
Even just a few minutes of planning can save you hours of activity.
And if you share the plan with your team, you increase the chances that when they Go THAT Way - they will all go the same way - and in the direction you want them to go.
Plus - it’s nice to know that if you have to come out of the game for any reason – it’s okay - because everyone will know the plays.
©2007- Jan Bolick, Business Class Inc
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