Twitterchat: Ensuring Planning Converts to Action

On Monday, January 7th I have the privilege of co-hosting a Twitterchat with Ken Rosen (@Ken_Rosen) and Joseph Ruiz (@SMSJOE) in the popular #usguyschat. We’re talking about ensuring planning converts to action.

The timing for this chat is no accident—the experience of personal New Year Resolutions is a great analogy for organizational plans failing to convert to actions. We know from personal experience that good intentions and simple action steps aren’t enough to change well established habits.

In organizations, it is well understood that good planning requires that clear actions be identified and managed. Think of SMART. However, we are all too familiar with the challenge of good ideas which have fallen victim to the poor execution of the plan.

Being in the business of recommending and sometimes leading organizations through change, I am well aware that effective planning is harder than it sounds. Sometimes, just having a plan feels like success, and gives the impression that change has already occurred. There are many steps in effective planning to reach our goals—from blue sky ideas to specific activities—and planning takes constant leadership and management.

Why is there a breakdown in converting planning to action, and how do we make sure we set up our plans for success?

Join us in the discussion at 12pm (PST) on Monday Jan 7th, or feel free to have more discussion here.

Here are the proposed questions for the chat:
Q1 What are some of the signs that a plan is failing to convert to action?

Q2 Other than results, what do you look for to confirm that specific actions supported the success of the plan?

Q3 How do you ensure leadership’s desire to have a flexible plan doesn’t result in a lack of accountability and action?

Q4 When faced with unexpected outcomes, how do you know whether to adjust the goal, alter the plan, or correct behavior? #usguyschat

Q5 How often is the inconsistency of our team’s actions simply due to a lack of communication? #usguyschat

Q6 As a leader, what is the one thing you look for to know that your plan will convert to real actions? #usguyschat

(Bonus Question) Can good plans fail, or is failure just an indication that it wasn’t a good plan in the first place?

(Bonus Question) If we desire a corporate culture that encourages failure within processes, what are the repercussions when plans fail? #usguyschat