So you have rolled out a new plan… now what?

How can you ensure the motivation lasts and the change sticks?

Just like politics and the presidency – the first 100 days is everything…

In order to see sustainable results over the first 100 days you must:

1. Over communicate the vision, plan or strategy again, again and again. Your team can’t win if they’re not amazingly clear on what they are aiming for- the vision.  Clarifying vision should be done weekly in 1:1′s, team meetings, emails, a weekly blog and/or v-log (video blog) from the leadership in the company.  This is the inspiration, pace and frequency they need.  Communication is the response you get back in action, not what people say.

2.  Create SHORT-term success! Most presidents try to take on too much without creating momentum first.  I won’t mention any names but we have witnessed this phenomenon recently.  As an old sage once said, “Don’t take an action to create a result, take an action to create a habit… and let the habit create the results.”

3.  Don’t declare victory too soon. Remember it’s a marathon, not a sprint.  Its easy for the human condition to feel like they are at the high point after the “kick-off” meeting.  This is not the high, but only the beginning.

4.  Keep moving forward – no matter what. It’s easy to second guess the strategy or plan, but in reality it now comes down to mindset and the actual execution.  Some companies get caught in the weeds of the unknown soon after the kick-off meeting because they believe they need all the details.  When in fact – 70% of the details will do just fine. Don’t let perfect ruin good.

5.  Make it hurt! If the day after you workout you are not sore, stiff and hurt… then you haven’t pushed your self to the edge.  You didn’t grow.  The same holds true in your first 100 days.  If the plan or strategy is truly different, you should be uncomfortable daily and notice it.  Remember change is inevitable, progress is not.

You can always adjust as you go. But as my father-in-law says – “always time to do it over, never time to do it right!”

As a leader you must set the standard, defy the odds, remove the obstacles and lead by example in the first 100 days.

This will set the tone for the rest of the year.

Be YOUR Best,

Joe

So are you about to do the impossible?

Need to get the troops rallied around the plan?

Well… as you can imagine, there are a few reactions:

1.   Here we go again…
2.   Do we have to?
3.   This won’t work.

(Does this sound familiar?)

So how do we get through this?

Tell the team it’s this simple:   The strategy is important but ideas are a dime a dozen.  Execution is EVERYTHING!

The reality is that the success of the roll-out is based on:

• 15% – STRATEGY
• 50% – MINDSET
• 35% – EXECUTION

So here are the DO’s:

1.  BE Transparent!
2.  Create Urgency
3.  Use Stories to Communicate the Vision

And the DON’TS:

1.  Act like you have it all figured out
2.  Assume you know how they will react
3.  Use fear to create motivation (all short term my friend)

What people want is:  CLARITY of where they are going, CONFIDENCE in the direction and a COMMITMENT from the leadership that you are going to be fair and reasonable.

What else has worked for you… or not?

I am sure you have read a few opinions on what to do for this year.  In our 9th year of helping over 350 companies grow, here is our take:

* Embrace change and face it head on – no one can predict the future and the only constant is change so welcome it, invite and then RE-INVENT!  You can’t run from it so you would be best to meet this head on, Domino’s Pizza did – check it out: http://ow.ly/SoP0 .  This is where true innovation happens.

* Get flexible and listen more – you have to be willing to put everything on the table in order to win in 2010.   Whether it’s changing your ingredients in a recipe you have used for 15+ years (Domino’s) or changing a planning process in the company from a 12 month cycle to a 90-day – DO IT!  The market will tell you what to do if you just listen.  In these times of change your response and response time is EVERYTHING!

* Execute– no excuse – talk is cheap as the old saying goes.  In the next decade this will be especially true.  Do what you say… and only say what you mean.  People are fed up with fakes… look for this to only intensify.  Companies and people who actually follow-up with what they say they are going to do will thrive in the coming decade.  If you can’t plan, organize, coordinate and execute against a plan – you have nothing.  Good intentions and ideas are unfortunately a dime a dozen.

* Tell your story – statistics show that one of the most effective ways to commit something to memory is with a story.  If your clients and the market place know your story, it will stick with them, be easy to carry and be a BIG PAYOFF.

* GIVE until your face falls off – ok, I am stealing this from Gary Vaynerchuk’s book, Crush It.  But it is so true.  You need to give, give, and give with no expectation of reciprocation.  Authenticity rules in 2010.

* Push harder, faster and stronger – 2010 is going to be a great year but out-working the competition is key.  Smart growth could happen just by having the willingness to make that extra call, attend that extra meeting or fill in the blank.  If you have to, fight, kick, claw and scratch your way to growth – then do it!

* Be the best – do one thing really well and drop everything else.  They say to become the best at something it takes repetition.  You can never get there by doing 4,000 things 7 times.  You need to do 7 things (or one) 4,000 times to become a true master.

Results will always vary, just remember:

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
- Winston Churchill

Long-time readers of this blog know that I’m no prognosticator or seer or Nostradamus.  But sometimes I get hunches that play out.

Here’s are 5 true predictions that my crystal ball is showing for 2010:

1.  2010 WILL be better than 2009 especially for small businesses.
Macro metrics like the GDP, unemployment rate and the national debt may not move much but small business is the backbone of our economy.  Small businesses are agile, flexible, nimble and resilient.  We will adapt in 2010 to find a rhythm for smart growth.  Expect a slow start as we adapt and then stronger 2^nd half in 2010 if you work for it.

In case you were wondering – http://www.sba.gov/advo/stats/sbfaq.pdf

• Small businesses represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms.
• Small businesses have generated 64 percent of net new jobs over the past 15 years.

2.  People are done with fakes, frauds and phonies – watch out!
Enron, Tyco, MCI, Bernie Madoff and Tiger are cheats we know but Tiger Woods could be the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.  If Tiger is the straw then “we” are the camel’s back.  People are going to not just ignore bad behavior anymore, they are going to look to punish it.  Personally if I were Nike, I would sue Tiger for the money he received on his image of being the all-around great guy.  It’s a breach of contract.

3.  TRUST will become the new currency.
If I am right on #3, then trust, brand promise, reputation is KING!  Of course cash will always be king but with enough trust couldn’t you get that too?

4.  Smaller is better.
This is without a doubt a trend that started a long time ago.  But I see more twitter-like 140 character inventions and discoveries for cars, computers, phones, teams, slogans, etc…

Past this, look for people to make fewer commitments to each other also.

5.  E-X-E-C-U-T-I-O-N will be the new buzz word.
When the hype dies down, a company either executed or it didn’t.  Every professional service company in the world is going to claim to help you take your ideas from theoretical to reality.

The only question is – how many companies truly have that core skill set?

(wink-wink, I know one!)