Simply Stated:
Understanding your own preferences toward business planning can ensure you get to highlight your natural strengths.
As a “structure oriented” workplace personality, fact and logic are your greatest contributions to the team.
Stretching your skills in other areas may be necessary to ensure the team is cohesive and all aspects of a great plan are developed.
For structure oriented workplace personalities, the opportunity to review lots of data and develop a detailed plan for the coming year, is a task you can really connect with. The annual business planning process can be a great opportunity to showcase your natural skills and talents. Keep in mind however, not everyone shares your approach to the planning process. The following post is intended to help clearly identify specific preferences, strengths and challenges for the structured workplace personality, so the planning process can optimize your strengths and minimize challenges and allow you to full appreciate team mates with a different perspective.
For structure oriented workplace personalities the following are the key preferences:
Fact and logic based discussions.
Reflection on the past to help define the plan for the future.
If something isn’t broken don’t fix it, focus on other opportunities.
Focus on tangible action plans that are achievable and measurable.
As you move through each of the stages of business planning keep the following strengths and challenges in mind:
1. Preparation for the business planning meeting.
Key strength: Pull, validate and analyze the data of “what happened” in the prior year or trends across years.
Key challenge: Reflection on the year for “what didn’t happen”, what were the missed opportunities.
2. The business planning meeting itself.
Key strength: Business intelligence based on research and analysis conducted and documented in advance of the meeting. Development and management of an effective agenda.
Key challenge: On the spot brainstorming of new ideas and approaches. Change of tried and true processes for perceived improved results.
3. Development of strategies and action plans.
Key strength: Documentation of the tangible steps that need to be executed and assigning clear ownership and accountability.
Key challenge: Ownership of vague goals.
4. Ongoing management of the business plan.
Key strength: Communication and management of progress towards established goals and objectives.
Key challenge: Modification of the plan as the year progresses based on intuitive decision making factors.
Reflecting on your preferences, strengths and challenges can make you a more effective team member and help produce a comprehensive business plan. Watch for follow up posts on the 3 other workplace personalities to see how they approach the process and things to watch for to ensure the group is effective as possible.
Lynn
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