Most people want to be successful in their careers and yet many are not willing to follow a process that leads to success. Success can come by happenstance; however more often, it comes from a deliberate and focused approach. While some people may shy away from a formal process, the fact remains that it will enhance their chances for success.
The planning process does not have to be complicated and in fact, the simplest of plans will achieve the same as the most complex. The key is to follow a plan that makes sense and feels right. It truly does not matter if the plan has five steps or ten steps as long as it achieves the desired results and outcomes.
The Vision for Success Plan has five simple steps and when they are followed, they will deliver the successful outcomes for the strategy or goal. The process is intended to focus on the activities that will yield the results each and every time.
- Brainstorming the Ideas
The first step in the Vision for Success Plan process is to brainstorm as many ideas and suggestions as possible that will support achieving the strategy or goal. When this is a team activity and many people are involved, it is critical to hear from everyone. When facilitated, they can come up with an idea or suggestion every minute for the duration of the brainstorming session. The more ideas, the more likely some of them will support the successful outcomes.
- 2. Clarifying the Ideas
After the ideas and suggestions have been gathered, they must be sorted and organized into themes. By clarifying the ideas, they are in a better position to drive and develop a focused action plan. The clarifying step in the process is quite simple when ideas that are similar or have something in common are grouped together. Not every idea can be combined with another idea and common sense will prevent over clarifying and losing the essence some of the ideas.
- 3. Drafting the Action Plan
When the ideas are clarified and grouped together, the action plan can be drafted. The action plan is the most direct and straightforward of all of the steps in the Vision for Success Plan. It requires a verb identifying the action to be taken along with the name of the accountable person and or persons to compete the action. The final piece of a well constructed action plan is the due date. When all three of these components are present in the action plan, it stands a very hight chance of being completed.
- 4. Checking In on the Action Plan
The Vision for Success Plan is more likely to create the required outcomes when it is given attention regularly. The periodic check ins ensure that the focus remains on the actions and deliverables. Scheduled meetings to review the progress are one of the best ways to check in and do not need to take a long time. Most check ins can take less than an hour a month to keep it moving in the right direction.
- 5. Celebrating the Successful Outcomes
The final step in the Vision for Success Plan is one that many people move right past without a seeing thought. All of the hard work that has been done to develop the plan that achieved the successful outcomes must be recognized, acknowledged and celebrated. Sometimes the celebration can be a simple meeting with or with our refreshments, while other times it may be elaborate and call for a full blown event. In any case, people want to be feel a sense of accomplishment and a celebration is always a great way to show appreciation for a job well done.
The Vision for Success Plan has been tested and proven in many challenging situations in numerous organizations and continues to be a well respected best practice. The key is to adopt a planning process that is simple and will deliver the required outcomes and successes.