Keep YOUR action plan on track! | Harvard Business Review | Gill Corkindale

How To Keep Your Action Plan On Track: 

Gill Corkindale 

Original Post:  http://blogs.hbr.org/corkindale/2010/01/how_to_keep_your_action_plan_o.html?cm_mmc=npv-_-MANAGEMENT_TIP-_-APR_2010-_-MTOD0401&referral=00203

Four days into 2010 I received an email from a client, Erik, updating me on the progress he had made with his action plan since our last meeting in October. Back then, we had identified a number of things he needed to work on — including listening more effectively and being politically aware. The plan also included how he might measure his progress — for example, with the feedback he received from colleagues, improved relationships, and more visibility — and some target dates for improvement.

Erik said he would call me to go through the details and discuss some refinements to his plan. I was impressed. Rarely do I have clients who report their progress so promptly and spontaneously. When we spoke, I commented that his plan was right on schedule: neither year-end fatigue nor the holiday break had derailed him. How had he managed to keep it on track?

He replied that his plan was designed to support his development, not get in the way of his work and life. It was, he said, specific, realistic, with clear time frames and small, manageable goals. Put simply, it worked for him. Erik's success lay partly in his motivation and focus and partly in the fact that he had designed a living, working plan — and not a piece of paper to be shoved in his desk drawer, only to be consulted occasionally.

Not everyone is as diligent in implementing their action plans as Erik, myself included: some of my resolutions for 2010 have already lapsed and need serious action to get back on track. It's a fact that most people's good intentions lapse as soon as they re-enter the real world — or the organisation.

I see this again and again in my work as a coach and consultant. Even the best coaching session or consultancy project is time wasted if the sudden breakthrough, excellent action plan or exciting strategy fails to become reality. It is easy to write an action plan, but an important first step is often overlooked: anticipating potential threats to the plan.

Before my clients leave the consulting room, I always ask them, what will get in the way of your plan? Using a using a simplified version of Lewin's Force Field Analysis, I ask clients to identify factors that will support and oppose their plan. For example, someone who wants to improve her relationship with her boss might identify supporting factors such as being reasonably approachable, staying in her job for a year or two, and the boss having a reputation for being consistent. Opposing factors might include her boss having to travel extensively (precluding regular meetings), responsibility for a large or disparate team, or her own lack of confidence.

Then I ask the client to think of ways that she might mitigate or work with these opposing factors. In the example above, the client could work on her personal confidence, making sure she fights for some time with her boss, and planning meetings to fit in with her boss's schedule. In these ways, she can capitalise on the supporting factors in the situation.

As I tell my clients repeatedly, the real work is making things happen. There is no easy way to say this — it requires hard work, application, patience, vision, foresight, self-belief, pragmatism, dogged determination (sometimes), flexibility (often), energy, and consistency. Staying power and the ability just to keep going are critical however many times you lapse or fall short of your plan.

One of the problems with working within an organisation is that collectively there could be more opposing forces than supporting forces. You might wish to make a personal change, such as being more open and transparent, but corporate cultures, power structures and politics could make this difficult. Or the organisation might be suffering from change fatigue, which could scupper new initiatives.

If you are in charge of a team action plan or are handling a company-wide change intitiative, try to devise a realistic plan: be aware of what you can reasonably achieve and what might be impossible. Then apply the same principles: identify supporting and opposing factors, then develop strategies to mitigate or deal with opposing factors.

Here are some thoughts about what individuals, teams, and organisations can do to keep their plans on track.

Individuals

• Keep a journal to hold yourself accountable to your plan. This might cover how you use your time, small steps you have taken, feedback from others, what worked and what didn't work, and changes you can see. Try to enter a few lines each day and review the journal each week for signs of progress or slippage.


• Find a coach, mentor, manager, or buddy to support you in your action plan. Ask for help or advice in getting your plan back on track if it lapses. And don't forget to talk about your successes to keep motivated.

Team

• If you are managing a team — or you are part of a team — it's important to share the responsibility and accountability for the plan.


• Ensure that notes are taken at meetings and distributed afterwards, appoint project managers and allocate key responsibilities.


• Hold team members to real deadlines and schedule regular meetings to give updates and monitor progress


• Tie individual accountability into appraisals


• Regular team offsite days will help the team review the wider progress.

Organisations

• Ensure you have backing at the highest levels for change initiatives and appoint change champions across the organisation


• Set aside time for top team offsite meetings to discuss strategy, assess progress, refine plans and change direction if necessary.


• Remind people that day-to-day business must not marginalise or overwhelm change initiatives


• Bring in external consultants and external stakeholders to provide new perspectives and energy when plans are flagging

Keep your plan alive and working for you as long as it serves you, whatever challenges the opposing forces may bring. The reward will be personal and organisational change, growth, and even transformation.

As ever, these are my thoughts — I am sure you have many more interesting insights and ideas into how individuals, leaders, and organisation can hold to their plans of action. What have been your personal and organisational experiences? Do you have any useful strategies to share with readers or questions you would like to ask? I look forward to hearing from you.

NOTE:  I posted this idea that works for teams - thank you to Kent Regional Community Coordinated Child Care  for creating it:  

When you send NOTES from a meeting take the time to highlight in RED the accountability actions for EVERYONE - not just yourself.  Then place them in a calendar and reimind everyone consistently about what the team said they will be accountable for. It's amazing how the "blame" of getting something done goes away and together you work to get tasks complete.  There is no more "I forgot" and instead there is "does anyone need help with their tasks?!" 

Posted via email from LJJ Speaks!