I've been playing with implementation and how long it takes myself and
clients to move from talking about something to actually doing it. It's an
interesting experiment, one I highly recommend exploring for yourself and
for your team. Here are the guidelines: as soon as you have an idea or start
talking about a plan - notice how quickly you move into action. You can
actually put it on a basic timeline. The timeline might look like this:
Idea - 9/25; Research complete - 10/1, Plan created (with timelines) and
roles assigned - 10/1; Plan implemented - 10/8.of course this all depends
on the scope of the plan, but it's a useful exercise to find where you stop
in your own planning and perhaps get in your own way.
What I've noticed for myself, and for many of my clients, is that the best
laid plans are born, acted upon and implemented in under a week. Now
implementation may not mean it's complete, but it's on it's way and
it's "grounded" - it's been made real to folks on the team and the leader of
the project. When we go over the week to 10 day mark, the plan is almost
guaranteed to get pushed back again and again. That said, if a plan must
spend more time in the "processing stage" - that's fine, just make sure that
someone owns it and is keeping it ALIVE.
So try it. Are you a "talker" (sitting in the plan, thinking about the plan,
putting off the plan, making plans to plan) or a "do-er" (getting into
action, learning from the plan, and making it happen)? The plan won't always
be perfect. In fact if you're lucky, it won't and you'll get some great
learning early on so that you can course correct. But if you sit on the
plan, talk about and get into "navel gazing".you risk missing great
opportunity.
Getting into action means engaging people. Engaged people means better
business results. Better business results means - good stuff. Last thought -
when you create that plan and get into action.Make sure your team can see
how the plan and the desired outcome of it, tie directly to the big picture,
the importance of the company's mission and to their roles specifically.
To engagement - have a fabulous week!