Self-motivation a Hidden Benefit Within the Strategic Planning Process For Any Business
Maybe it is time to think in terms of your life as you look at your business.
Are you where you want to be? Are you satisfied with your life? Do you have the peace of mind that you are looking for? Do you want to have fun? In your life as well as your business? Do you want to stop worrying about having money? Do you desire life success from your business success?
To answer these questions requires the telling of a story that I consistently share, as a business coach, with my clients.
The story begins with a question as many of my stories do. How many of you have ever visited the grocery store? If so, did you take the written grocery list? Have you ever forgotten the written list? Yes, well many of us have including myself. Then what happens when we leave the written list at home? Again, your answers are absolutely on target. The results of leaving that small scrap of paper on the table are:
Purchase more food than we anticipated Purchase food that we didn't need Forget to purchase items that we need Spend more money than anticipated Spend more time thant anticipated Spend more energy than anticipated Waste gas and time by having to return to the store Feel really, really stupid upon returning home and seeing the list on the table
By your own admissions, a written grocery list has value. And by those same agreements, a written grocery list has significant value due to all the reasons we cited just a few moments ago. So since a written grocery has significant value, then where is the written plan for the rest of your life?
When you don't have a written plan, you are on someone else's plan. In this case, who do you think is the happiest camper on the block when you walk in without that list? The grocery store owner, absolutely! Given the low gross margin on grocery store's sales, the more you spend the happier he is because his strategic business plan is driven by high volume and low profit margin. So, welcome to his world or his plan.
If you like your destiny being in the hands of someone else who does not have your best interests at heart, then continue to live your life without a plan. However, if you want to take control of your future, plan your destiny to achieve the potential that you believe to be true, then begin to plan your future and work your plan. This is the end of the story.
The essential purpose of any plan is to ensure that the desired results are achieved. Is that not one of the reasons for motivation? From my experience as a business coach, planning avoids the spray and pray mentality and the accompanying actions that many experience.
Should your business be any different than you life? Just imagine crafting a plan, then revisiting the plan on a regular basis and seeing everything that you achieved. How would that make you feel? If you are like me and I don't believe that I am unique, you will definitely feel motivated to continue listing all those accomplished goals and making any necessary course corrections.
Strategic planning is a great motivator for business success. Remember, motivation means to come from within each individual so self-motivation is really an oxymoron. Your business results and ultimately business success are being achieved indirectly or directly by your thoughts and actions.
Related Tags: business coach, business success, strategic planning, self-motivation, strategic planning process
Leanne Hoagland-Smith, M.S. is a business coach and executive coach with offices in Indianapolis and near Chicago. She writes, speaks and coaches people in businesses to quickly double or triple results through the creation of an executable strategic plan along with the necessary leadership skills "to pull it off."
One quick question, if you could secure one new client or breakthrough that one roadblock holding you back from success, what would that mean to you? Then, take a risk and give me, Leanne, a call at 219.759.5601 to experience incredible results.
Visit http://www.processspecialist.com/ and explore everything from free articles to connecting with Leanne.
Your Article Search Directory : Find in ArticlesRecent articles in this category:
- Strategic Planning Begins With a Mission Statement and a Vision Statement
A sure-fire way to start the success of your business strategic planning process is to identify th - Your Mission Statement and Vision Statement - Getting Your Message Out There
Congratulations. You have created your business mission and vision statements. They are clear, defi - Offshore Company Incorporation
An offshore corporation is the one which is incorporated in an overseas country in order to reap t - Risk Assessment and Management
Entrepreneurship is defined as set of different activities that consist the business development. - Making Money in an Economic Downturn
If you're a savvy business person, you understand that an economic downturn is precisely the time y - The Best Promotional Giveaways for Trade Shows: the Three C's
Participating in a trade show is an excellent way to give your business a high degree of exposure. - Writing a Business Plan
When it comes to writing a business plan you need to remember that it should focus on four separate - How to Register a Trademark - Employing the Services of a Trademark or Patent Lawyer
Innovations come up everyday and people are always bent on discovering something new and making it - How to Create the Perfect Survey
 DOPreserve anonymity. If the employees identities are tied to their responses, they may - Tired of That Tired Old Brochure?
"Brochures are one of the cornerstones of effective advertising, but not all brochures are equally
Most viewed articles in this category:
- How to Use Radionics to Help You Make the Right Business Decision
Remember what it was like to be in school? It may not have seemed like it at the time, but things w - Strategic Planning Before Grant Writing
People sign up for my grant writing workshops to learn to write grant proposals. I often find they h - The Balanced Scorecard
The Divide between Strategy Formulation & Strategy Execution The vast majority of the world's busin - Why Business Incentives Work
In 2005 General Motors launched a consumer incentive program after a few years of sluggish sales. Fr - Business Sellers - Beware of the C Corp Asset Sale
We recently completed a Merger and Acquisition engagement to sell our client to a large publicly tra - Helpful Hints to Implementing a Differentiation Strategy
I frequently get asked "how can I differentiate my product or service when there are a lot of compet - Change Happens - Anticipate It - Embrace It
Like everyone else, I have received countless emails with long lists extolling nostalgic virtues fro - Definite Goals And The Burning Ambition To Achieve Them: How To Be A Winner
Did you know that the vast majority of truly successful people in the world have clearly stated goal - Is Succession Planning in Your Future?
Until recently, many CEOs and companies in general had not thought much about succession planning. B - Strategic Alliances, Collaborating Through a New Window
Strategic alliances are commonplace today among organizations both large and small. The advantages a