The management role of planning

Failure to plan on your part does NOT constitute an emergency on my part.
by: Eric Stokley

Someone close to me once said, regarding vacation planning, “if you don’t plan to do something, you will never do it.” I scoffed, in my usual way hoping to defend my beliefs about spontaneity and impulse. I have come to learn that thru effective and early planning, I could find myself enjoying much more in life and at less cost and disruption to those who rely on me. If you plan, and share your plan, then others will plan with you.

If you ask managers which of the four roles are most important, you will be given any possible combination of answers. More often than not, the answer will be driven by the implied power that each role provides a manager and the relationship they have in the organization. A charismatic visionary manager may say leadership is the most important role. The accounting manager may say, budgeting, the compliance manager would say control is the most important role of management. As with most things in life, the most effective managers integrate all of these roles...usually in various degrees depending on the challenges or dynamics of the organization.

Although, I have chosen to address each role in a logical order, it is important to remember that the four fundamental roles of management actually interlock to support the other roles of management. For example, organizational control relies on strong leadership, and leadership comes from effective planning and budgeting. It is this integrated characteristic that ultimately defines an effective manager.

Despite the effectiveness of planning, its’ role is often overlooked. The goal of planning should be one of discovery and mitigation and transcends all other roles. The gathering of information, identifying obstacles and exploring solutions will help you indentify processes affected, staffing and equipment needs that will be addressed in budgeting, and organizational behavioral issues that will need to be addressed by leadership. As you can see, the role of planning should be pivotal in your management process.

Although there are several methods of planning, the method you choose will largely depend on what is being planned. Each method has advantages and disadvantages that need to be considered. Regardless of your preferred method, it is important to remember the key point to planning, discovery and mitigation.

Don't underestimate the impact of your decisions.
What seems like an insignificant splash to you, can become a tsunami after it hits the water. For this reason, during planning sessions, it is vital to consider input from several levels of the organization. This includes superiors and subordinates.

Superiors will provide the implied authority and helping connect your objectives to the overall organizational objectives. Consulting them periodically and keeping them informed will prove invaluable.

Subordinates on the other hand may actually provide you with your most useful information. However, you should prepare yourself ahead of time. They may not be able to communicate effectively what you need to hear. As a manager, you should work to encourage and reward input regardless of the crude nature it sometimes can take. This is why you’re a manager and front-line subordinates learn from and model your example.

Embrace Criticism
Many people find bald, unvarnished truths so disturbing, they prefer to ram their heads in the sand and start dreaming at the first sign of reality. The more criticism mounts up, the harder they'll ignore it. As a manager in the passion of planning, and a quest for success, we often push aside solid criticism until it comes back around and kicks you and your project, in the backside…and usually at a significant cost. Remember, "that which does not kill you, makes you stronger."

Now this does not mean that you should go out and find everyone who might criticize you and include them in your planning sessions. A little criticism is healthy, but to much can paralyze you, and your project. The key here is to include people who not only criticize, but also provide solutions with their criticisms. A criticism without a solution is just a gripe.

Remember that criticism is simply a chance to solve a problem, before it can become problem. Try to keep an open mind and keep everyone focused on the vision and goal. If you are caught up defending your position, then you are not building a team.

The process of planning should be a recurring theme in your management style. Regardless of how effective your planning has been, an effective organization is evolving, growing, and changing. Revisiting the planning role will constantly help you make more informed decisions that revolve around the other fundamental roles of management.