Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
UCLA’s legendary basketball coach John Wooden said it, and many others, including Benjamin Franklin, have been credited with that thought as well. I’m a fan of the philosophy because I’m one of those list-making, organizing, scheduling, deadline-beating, natural born planners that are both comforting and confounding to work with.
Planners are appreciated when their attention to detail and deadlines helps their colleagues succeed; they’re disdained when their agenda-setting smacks of control and micromanagement.
Still, we know that in today’s workplaces, planning is important. Staff members are multitasking, projects are complex, people are often dispersed and distracted. Planners keep people on track and in touch — unless their efforts are overbearing or unhelpful.
Here are five times when plans really matter.
- When plans inspire. Planning can demonstrate a vision for success and the beginning of a road map that others join in to complete.
- When plans smooth the way. Colleagues along the workflow process benefit from knowing the big, projected picture as early as possible. Think of the last person who might touch a project before completion. How could front-end information benefit that person?
- When the planner has subject matter expertise. The expert can kick start the whole team by laying out the problem and solution, assigning support roles and responsibilities, and encouraging people along the way.
- When others on the team aren’t adept at planning. If you have the strongest talent for planning, or if others are just too busy, take the lead. Just make certain you get their input.
- When plans help demonstrate progress. Having a plan with benchmarks lets a team show the status of its work, which can be important to higher-ups and funders.
But here are five warnings for those who love to plan.
- Planners can become controllers. Planners sometimes assume that because they do the organizing work, they get more votes than others on the team. Even when you’re the boss doing the planning, people are more likely to be engaged if they have a voice in the project.
- Planners can resist change. The parent of any plan sees its path more clearly than everyone else and may want to drive to the finish line on that route only. Suggested alternatives can seem like criticisms. The more you love planning, the more you need to recognize your need to be flexible.
- Planners can button things up too early. Remember the value of people who aren’t like you. Folks who aren’t born planners are often born innovators and adapters. The reason they don’t keep lists and beat deadlines by a mile isn’t because they’re lazy, it’s because they keep their options open while they think — and often add great value to a plan in progress.
- Planners can get the blame if things go astray. If your name and yours alone is on a plan that fails, your reputation may suffer. Being a collaborative planner builds both buy-in and shared responsibility.
- Planners can get work dumped on them. You can become the “planning nanny” for people who know it’s a lot of work and are happy to let you do it. Train others to help so you don’t become the default planner for all projects.
Great bosses aren’t always great planners, but they make certain to have them on their teams. They respect the talent and the time they invest organizing effectively on behalf of others.
In today’s podcast, I’ll explain how some people are actually hard-wired for planning and others for serendipity. In case you didn’t know, I ad lib these podcasts, so I leave you with the words of planning fan Winston Churchill: “I’m just preparing my impromptu remarks.”
Poynter’s “What Great Bosses Know” podcast is sponsored by The City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. Poynter’s leadership and management expert Jill Geisler shares practical information that’s valuable for bosses in newsrooms and everywhere.
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