HAVE A CLEAR VISION

Human beings have a lot in common. For instance most of us tend to:

• Be overly optimistic about our ability to perform and the timescales involved
• Expect things to work themselves out
• Underestimate our competitors
• Lazy in one form or another

These character traits can get us into a lot of trouble. They tend to stop us from making meaningful and realistic plans about our futures. I have found that the larger a company or team is the more likely they are to have a vision backed up by a fully thought out plan of action. This is normally because bigger organisations tend to be able to employ higher calibre personnel. Smaller firms tend not to have any systematic form of business planning and most don’t really have any idea of where they want to get to i.e. they have no Strategy so any broadly relevant direction will do.

If we are to be successful, grow and avoid the pitfalls of poor business planning it is imperative that we have some sort of idea where we are going, why and what it will take to get there. It starts with vision and a sense of mission and cascades down through strategic and tactical business planning. How else can our marketers know what is expected of them?

So be on a mission, know what is required, deploy your limited resources appropriately and you will succeed.

If you have any problems you know a man who can help.