• 16Dec

  Time to Put Your Plan Into Action

  Business and Health, Inspiration for Business, entrepreneur to ceo 3 Comments

  You’ve created your strategic action plan and now it’s time to put it to work for you. As you created the plan, plenty of ideas for implementation surfaced. You remember, you kept asking yourself, “How am I going to make this happen?” Now is the time to actually answer that all important question and focus on action.

  From my days as a project manager, I know implementation is a critical phase of any action plan. So critical in fact that it requires the same degree of attention that’s gone into your plan thus far. Implementation this is truly where the bulk of the action on your plan happens.

  Consider the outcomes.
  Paint yourself a vivid picture of what successful implementation means for you. What would you like to be able to say about how your role as a CEO favorably affected your business in six months from now? Or a year from now? Outline the specific steps you’ll take to realize your vision. Incorporate the detailed steps into your strategic plan as the next, concrete layer requiring action.

  Identify the members of your team who must be involved.
  Think of the talents and skills required to complete the work. Things may get a little tricky if you fail to assign the right tasks to the person MOST qualified to get the work done. If someone on your team doesn’t possess the skills, add a team member that does. Right person to right job! Enough said?

  Communicate your plan to the team.
  Boy, is this step ever omitted! Your team MUST know the breadth and width of your plan so they can fully support it. If your team doesn’t have a FULL view of the plan, it makes it harder for them to adapt to any changes that may occur. Keep the lines of communication open throughout implementation to ensure constant engagement from the team.
  
  Acknowledge and eliminate hurdles or roadblocks.
  You may encounter challenges in even the best strategic plans. Encountering a problem is not the issue; finding the solution is. Focus on the root and know that a solution is possible when you’re empowered to arrive at resolution. Determine that there is only room for success!

  Execute, evaluate, adapt and evolve.
  Be patient as you implement and make room for growth and change. This is a tough area and thankfully, you can prepare yourself to readily overcome any challenges that arise. The possibilities are limitless when you’re open to the evolution occurring as a direct result of you implementing your plan.

  Finally, keep the big picture in mind. Focus on your overall goals; monitor and measure your progress; and make note of what works. We’ll talk more about these aspects in the next post in this series.

  As you put your plan into action, remain flexible and be willing to do what needs to be done to get the job done. It’s YOUR time to make it happen!

  When do you know you’re ready to put your strategic plan into action?

  Tags: entrepreneur to ceo, entrepreneurial motivation, entrepreneurial roles, implementation, milestones, overcome roadblocks, strategic action plan

• 08Dec

  Win-Win Collaborations Last

  Business and Health, Inspiration for Business, entrepreneur to ceo 4 Comments

  

  Collaboration is another aspect to consider in my series about shifting from Entrepreneur to CEO.  Previous posts in the series focused on your strategic action plan, and shedding toxicity.

  In this post, I share my thoughts about the importance of surrounding yourself with people who align with your model for collaboration.  These partner-worthy pros have skills that you don’t have and offer you an opportunity to share your expertise in kind.  You’re able to create a win-win relationship for sharing in the work and growing your businesses together. Collaboration is kewl partnering way to connect to others, gain a following, become the expert in your field, and create lasting relationships with reliable business professionals.

  With the many experts available, it’s important that you identify people willing and able to promote a favorable climate for collaboration.  Invest the time getting to know more about how they work to gain a sense of the chemistry you have with them.  Connect to people who are willing to roll up their sleeves and work in action WITH you.  These go-getters recognize progress and productivity as a means for exponential growth. They totally "get" your style and embrace your collaboration fully to get things done.

  Get clear about what you seek in your collaborator by creating a profile of their values, skills and characteristics your collaborator must possess. The word "must" may seem a bit strong and it is.  Having the right values, skills and characteristics guarantee the relationship will withstand any bumps in the road.  In that event, it is totally a MUST to know you’re right for each other before the collaboration begins.  When you approach your potential partner, share your vision for success so you both know where they fit into it.  Remember that you are the captain of your ship and you want the relationship to be advantageous for everyone involved.

  Execute a non-disclosure agreement with signatures from both parties. You’re working with proprietary information from their perspective and yours. This is a great way to ensure you’re all equally protected.  Your success in the collaboration hinges on trust and your collaborator will support you in this process.  Like wrapping yourself in a warm blanket, you’re creating the
  space for a lasting and profitable relationship founded in promise and connection.

  How are your win-win collaborations working?

  Tags: business partners, business relationships, collaboration, entrepreneur to ceo, entrepreneurial roles

• 04Dec

  Your Strategic Plan As A Plan of Action

  Inspiration for Business, Strategic Planning, entrepreneur to ceo 1 Comment

  In your quest to shift to become CEO of your company, your success hinders on having a strong plan.

  Do you have a solid, strategic plan yet?

  If not, this is your personal nudge to create a plan that is proactive, purposeful, and highly strategic. It’s GREAT if you already have a plan. Continue reading to incorporate these key elements if they’re missing.

  A strategic plan is a deliberate approach to your life and business. Your plan is filled with action steps to help you to turn your hopes and dreams into real, tangible outcomes and accomplishments. Your strategic plan concretizes your business vision, mission and goals. It describes the attainable approach you, and your team will use to meet the objectives of your business. Your plan contains achievable action steps which have been clearly communicated to the team so team members are ready to take action at any given moment. If for some reason you are unable to act on the plan, someone from your team is empowered and informed to take the ball and run with it in your absence.

  It is smart to develop and maintain a strategic plan for your business. Bear in mind, your plan is a living, breathing record that you review often, adjust accordingly and monitor to evaluate the results of your efforts. While you’re in transition you can expect to make lots of changes — often. Give yourself permission to remain flexible and fluid without getting bogged down by change itself.

  Build your strategic plan around your vision, mission, and goals of your business. Write them down. If these critical elements are floating around in your head, your team cannot move your plan forward in your absence. Adding these key ingredients to the mix will truly help you to stay on course because you’ll have a solid blueprint for running your business.

  How’s your strategic plan looking now?

  Where are your opportunities to adjust your plan of action?

  What actions can you take to move your plan forward?

  The start of a new year is an excellent time to develop, revisit or renew your strategic plan. Start with your business vision, mission and goals. When the strategies surface and you identify milestones, embrace each and every one as part of your plan of action. Remember you’re in transition and it’s perfectly fine to approach the learning curve and embrace new opportunities to grow.

  I look forward to hearing more about strategic plan of action as you move from Entrepreneur to CEO.

  Tags: action plan, business goals, entrepreneur to ceo, entrepreneurial roles, mission, strategic plan, vision

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