Aim Small; Miss Small
In strategic planning, the sharper your focus, the smaller your margin for error.
When archers draw a bow, they’re far more accurate when they zero in on the bull’s-eye than when they broadly aim to hit the target.
The same applies in golf. When players concentrate on landing the ball at a specific spot near the pin, their shots are more precise than when they target the green in general.
What’s true for archery and golf translates to strategic planning as well. The sharper your focus is, then the smaller your margin for error will be when you execute. Put simply, “Aim small; miss small.”
What can you do practically to shrink the scope of your goals so that you’re laser focused?
If everything is important…then nothing is . Identify the three strategic priorities for your team. Don’t get bogged down on specific verbiage, but make sure everyone agrees with and can articulate your strategic priorities.
Knowing what not to do can be just as important as knowing where you’re going. What distractions will tempt you to veer from your strategic priorities? List them - then openly talk about them. Reach agreement as a team on how you will handle these when they arise - because they likely will.
Decide upon metrics . What is unmeasured goes undone. Set your criteria for success. Don’t feel constrained by numbers—qualitative goals have every bit as much merit as quantitative ones. However, make sure your metrics are simple and concrete.
Track performance together . Evaluating results as a team provides instant accountability—no one wants to look bad in front of peers. Also, talking through results helps you to decipher problems or opportunities buried beneath the facts and figures.
