Not to scare you, but it is that time of the year when we need to get planning.

Planning helps things happen. And if you want to set your team up for success, they will likely need a plan.

In my experience, the best plans start with awareness.

And if you’ve been around here for a little while, you probably know how fond I am of self-awareness as an essential leadership skill.

So, before you dive into a planning session with your team, or you start staring at a fancy spreadsheet asking to be filled with meticulously-laid plans, there is something you might like to ponder.

And that is this…

Are you a planner? Does it come naturally to you? Are you interested in it, or would you rather talk about ideas and big visions?

(You might like to think about your Team Management Profile (TMP) or whatever other profile you use to understand your leadership and working style.)

And if the answer is no, don’t despair. In fact, be grateful you can acknowledge that before you got stuck into that spreadsheet.

Tap into the people in your team who are good planners. Task them with working on a plan and presenting it to you for discussion and editing. What a great assignment that can be for the right people!

If you are a planner though, don’t forget to engage others in your team in the planning. It’s easy to get lost in the thrills of it when you love doing it and then assume that everyone knows what you know.

So, now that we got the awareness piece clear, let me ask you (and your team)?

→ What IS your big picture, not just for the next year, but for the next 5 years?

→ WHY does it matter?

→ And what does that vision mean for you as a team?

→ What skills and resources does the team need to make that plan happen?

These questions lay the foundations of your plan. Once you’re clear on the answers, you’re halfway there. Your next task is to work out HOW to get there. So, happy planning!