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Answer Upon - The Primacy Of Planning
Are you a Costa Mesa homeowner or business owner? If you are, have you ever heard of a process that is sometimes referred to as Costa Mesa mold abatement? If not, you may want to take time to familiarize yourself with it, especially if you feel that your home or business may have a mold problem.Although a Costa Mesa mold abatement process is a relatively common one, there are some California homeowners and business owners who are unfamiliar with the term Costa Mesa mold abatement. What you should know is that Costa Mesa mold abatement is the same thing as mold removal. Mold abatement involves the removal and cleanup of all mold types. In addition to being known as mold removal, mold abatement is also commonly referred to as mold remediation.No matter what the name, Costa Mesa mold abatement is something that your home or business may have to undergo. Although it is not a
Often, leaders look at planning they HAVE done and aren’t satisfied with the results they obtained. Such results can be a powerful negative deterrent to doing any planning at all. And while our plan may have given us poor outcomes, it’s not the planning itself that’s the problem, but most often the way it was done. Good planning will take time, and it should be structured – done around certain principle areas. Let’s look at what those principal areas are. Is A Gas Opec A Real Threat To Europe?
At a time when gas exporting countries are considering the formation of an OPEC type gas producer’s cartel, EU President Barrosso has argued the case for a united European energy strategy in order to improve and maintain a more favourable bargaining position. In an interview with energy expert Jonathan Stern of Oxford University’s Institute of Energy Studies, he argues that such a strategy is necessary, but, doubts, given the very differences that exist with gas production, distribution and marketing, that the formulation of an OPEC type organisation is ‘almost certainly not viable’.IS THE GECF A VIRTUAL FORUM?In fact, there is an organisation, the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), which seeks to promote cooperation and coordination between gas exporters and prevent cooperation. Fortunately, for Europe , Jonathan has observed that the GECF ‘has showed it to be a relat
That was a statement made to me by a manager when I asked him - for the third time - to work with a group of us assigned a critical project. The project, if carried off well, would have profound effects on the long term health of the business. But it ended up fizzling after two months. Why? Because this manager, in a crucial department, didn’t see the need for planning, and wouldn’t ‘play’.
Planning can be looked on as a pain in the neck. Often, at the very best, we do it because we know we ought to. But it’s done grudgingly, and because of that incompletely. And then when the plan doesn’t work we reinforce the thought that planning is a waste of time. But really, is it? What are the pitfalls of not planning?
PITFALLS OF NOT PLANNING Well, first there’s the effect on the plan itself. What happens when we don’t plan at all? That’s more easily seen if we look at a good vacation. Most of us wouldn’t think of going on an extended vacation without doing significant planning. Why? Because it’s precious time to us! We want results from it – results like relaxation, fun with others, rejuvenation. We judge ‘effectiveness’ in a vacation by the lack of hassle, by things coming off right, the absence of nasty surprises, the pleasantness of the surroundings, everything working like it should. And what is the final result? A good vacation brings us back refreshed and re-created (recreation?), and makes us much better able to take up our work again. In fact, a good vacation will change our entire outlook on our work, and make it a pleasure again – especially if it had stopped being a pleasure before. So we plan our vacations. We look at where we will go, what things we will do; we look at the accommodations we’ll book, and the surroundings of those accommodations. We look at resources – the money we’ll need to get there and the money we’ll have on hand for spending. Is such planning worth it? Most of us would answer “Absolutely!”.
So what about NOT planning a vacation? Well, you can look forward to one sure thing in that case – surprises. Now, I like surprises. But I don’t enjoy spending hours in a destination trying to find a room. I don’t like discovering that things in my hotel don’t work, or that the place isn’t clean. One surprise we encountered on a poorly researched vacation landed us in a room where the carpets were all wet. I wondered if this was because they’d just cleaned them, and further exploration yielded the fact that the toilet had a habit of backing up. Now THAT was a nasty surprise. Did we stay in that room? What do YOU think?
Lack of planning can yield similar surprises in business. Let’s look what goes into a business planning process, and how it can be done right.
PERILS OF THE PLANNING PROCESS Let’s face it, it’s fun to get right down to the meat of our work, and planning ain’t letting us do that! Believe it or not, that’s the number one reason leaders don’t want to plan. We are busy, and there are pressures to get things done, and planning takes time. It just seems easier and more enjoyable to do the job. But consider the surprises we set ourselves up for when we do it that way. We can find ourselves wasting time looking for data that’s hard to find, or missing completely. We find ourselves doing things over, causing rework for other parts of the business, lowering morale among staff. Ultimately, we don’t get the results we want, and the business itself suffers.
Often, leaders look at planning they HAVE done and aren’t satisfied with the results they obtained. Such results can be a powerful negative deterrent to doing any planning at all. And while our plan may have given us poor outcomes, it’s not the planning itself that’s the problem, but most often the way it was done. Good planning will take time, and it should be structured – done around certain principle areas. Let’s look at what those principal areas are.
When hiring managers describe a salary and benefits package to you, they have one main objective in mind: To get the best possible talent for the least possible expense. They're not going to volunteer the fact that they can go higher in salary or negotiate concessions in your benefits package. So, if you're in the midst of a job change and salary negotiation, here are some important things to keep in mind: Know How Much You're Worth: Well-managed companies conduct regular labor market assessments to determine if their salaries are competitive. They use this information to adjust their established pay ranges for each position. Because payroll is one of the biggest expenses of running a business, they often offer you the lowest salary possible and hope to keep you satisfied.What they want you to know: That their philosophy is to pay competitively. They want you to feel that you
PITFALLS OF NOT PLANNING Well, first there’s the effect on the plan itself. What happens when we don’t plan at all? That’s more easily seen if we look at a good vacation. Most of us wouldn’t think of going on an extended vacation without doing significant planning. Why? Because it’s precious time to us! We want results from it – results like relaxation, fun with others, rejuvenation. We judge ‘effectiveness’ in a vacation by the lack of hassle, by things coming off right, the absence of nasty surprises, the pleasantness of the surroundings, everything working like it should. And what is the final result? A good vacation brings us back refreshed and re-created (recreation?), and makes us much better able to take up our work again. In fact, a good vacation will change our entire outlook on our work, and make it a pleasure again – especially if it had stopped being a pleasure before. So we plan our vacations. We look at where we will go, what things we will do; we look at the accommodations we’ll book, and the surroundings of those accommodations. We look at resources – the money we’ll need to get there and the money we’ll have on hand for spending. Is such planning worth it? Most of us would answer “Absolutely!”.
So what about NOT planning a vacation? Well, you can look forward to one sure thing in that case – surprises. Now, I like surprises. But I don’t enjoy spending hours in a destination trying to find a room. I don’t like discovering that things in my hotel don’t work, or that the place isn’t clean. One surprise we encountered on a poorly researched vacation landed us in a room where the carpets were all wet. I wondered if this was because they’d just cleaned them, and further exploration yielded the fact that the toilet had a habit of backing up. Now THAT was a nasty surprise. Did we stay in that room? What do YOU think?
Lack of planning can yield similar surprises in business. Let’s look what goes into a business planning process, and how it can be done right.
PERILS OF THE PLANNING PROCESS Let’s face it, it’s fun to get right down to the meat of our work, and planning ain’t letting us do that! Believe it or not, that’s the number one reason leaders don’t want to plan. We are busy, and there are pressures to get things done, and planning takes time. It just seems easier and more enjoyable to do the job. But consider the surprises we set ourselves up for when we do it that way. We can find ourselves wasting time looking for data that’s hard to find, or missing completely. We find ourselves doing things over, causing rework for other parts of the business, lowering morale among staff. Ultimately, we don’t get the results we want, and the business itself suffers.
Often, leaders look at planning they HAVE done and aren’t satisfied with the results they obtained. Such results can be a powerful negative deterrent to doing any planning at all. And while our plan may have given us poor outcomes, it’s not the planning itself that’s the problem, but most often the way it was done. Good planning will take time, and it should be structured – done around certain principle areas. Let’s look at what those principal areas are. Ethics in Business Communication
Privacy issues around words such as "Personal", "Private", "For the Eyes of Department Management Only", "Privileged" and other words requesting Privacy in communications need to be very seriously considered.It is incumbent upon managers in business, education, and industry today, to be very sensitive and forthright in their communications, and in response to privacy requests regarding communications from their employees. To be less than totally forthright can result in some very unsavory results from disenfranchised employees.Let's face it. Management is about decisions, and decisions as to what you do with "Private" communications can have long ranging results. If the communications relates to discussions of harassment and/or sexual harassment, or other discrimination issues, some very difficult decisions must be made. As any investigation of these matters will result iire outlook on our work, and make it a pleasure again – especially if it had stopped being a pleasure before. So we plan our vacations. We look at where we will go, what things we will do; we look at the accommodations we’ll book, and the surroundings of those accommodations. We look at resources – the money we’ll need to get there and the money we’ll have on hand for spending. Is such planning worth it? Most of us would answer “Absolutely!”.
So what about NOT planning a vacation? Well, you can look forward to one sure thing in that case – surprises. Now, I like surprises. But I don’t enjoy spending hours in a destination trying to find a room. I don’t like discovering that things in my hotel don’t work, or that the place isn’t clean. One surprise we encountered on a poorly researched vacation landed us in a room where the carpets were all wet. I wondered if this was because they’d just cleaned them, and further exploration yielded the fact that the toilet had a habit of backing up. Now THAT was a nasty surprise. Did we stay in that room? What do YOU think?
Lack of planning can yield similar surprises in business. Let’s look what goes into a business planning process, and how it can be done right.
PERILS OF THE PLANNING PROCESS Let’s face it, it’s fun to get right down to the meat of our work, and planning ain’t letting us do that! Believe it or not, that’s the number one reason leaders don’t want to plan. We are busy, and there are pressures to get things done, and planning takes time. It just seems easier and more enjoyable to do the job. But consider the surprises we set ourselves up for when we do it that way. We can find ourselves wasting time looking for data that’s hard to find, or missing completely. We find ourselves doing things over, causing rework for other parts of the business, lowering morale among staff. Ultimately, we don’t get the results we want, and the business itself suffers.
Often, leaders look at planning they HAVE done and aren’t satisfied with the results they obtained. Such results can be a powerful negative deterrent to doing any planning at all. And while our plan may have given us poor outcomes, it’s not the planning itself that’s the problem, but most often the way it was done. Good planning will take time, and it should be structured – done around certain principle areas. Let’s look at what those principal areas are. Opening a Dollar Store - Watch Out for Store Traffic Changes!
Are you opening a dollar store? If so always remember that it is quite easy for those who are very close to a business to lose sight of exactly what is happening with that business. It is very easy for a business to get out of control and for unexpected consequences to result.Make it a practice to routinely examine the different components of your business. For example examining traffic and surrounding area demographics on a routine basis is important after opening a dollar store.Have there been significant changes in traffic flow into the store, flows on main streets and into the parking lot? Are traffic counts on major thoroughfares that surround your business the same or higher? Is there still the same easy access in and out of the area around your store? Have parking space numbers changed? Is it still easy for your customers to find parking that allows them to quickly tion landed us in a room where the carpets were all wet. I wondered if this was because they’d just cleaned them, and further exploration yielded the fact that the toilet had a habit of backing up. Now THAT was a nasty surprise. Did we stay in that room? What do YOU think?
Lack of planning can yield similar surprises in business. Let’s look what goes into a business planning process, and how it can be done right.
PERILS OF THE PLANNING PROCESS Let’s face it, it’s fun to get right down to the meat of our work, and planning ain’t letting us do that! Believe it or not, that’s the number one reason leaders don’t want to plan. We are busy, and there are pressures to get things done, and planning takes time. It just seems easier and more enjoyable to do the job. But consider the surprises we set ourselves up for when we do it that way. We can find ourselves wasting time looking for data that’s hard to find, or missing completely. We find ourselves doing things over, causing rework for other parts of the business, lowering morale among staff. Ultimately, we don’t get the results we want, and the business itself suffers.
Often, leaders look at planning they HAVE done and aren’t satisfied with the results they obtained. Such results can be a powerful negative deterrent to doing any planning at all. And while our plan may have given us poor outcomes, it’s not the planning itself that’s the problem, but most often the way it was done. Good planning will take time, and it should be structured – done around certain principle areas. Let’s look at what those principal areas are. Combine Postcard Marketing With Your Online Marketing Strategy
Letting people know about your business Web siteYou can’t set up in cyberspace and expect customers to just come to your business Web site. You have to let them know you are there. And, while there are people who look online, there are still plenty of others who are not as Web savvy as you would like them to be. For those folks, you need an offline marketing strategy to get them to your business Web site. This is where the postcard comes in. Put your Web address on an attractive postcard to create interest in your business Web site. Postcard marketing is uniquely compatible with online marketing:Postcard marketing is low cost. You can generate several thousand for a relatively small amount of money and they are inexpensive to mail. They are a low cost way of generating Web traffic.Postcards arrive at the home or business, in a place where a computer is readily availabls we set ourselves up for when we do it that way. We can find ourselves wasting time looking for data that’s hard to find, or missing completely. We find ourselves doing things over, causing rework for other parts of the business, lowering morale among staff. Ultimately, we don’t get the results we want, and the business itself suffers.
Often, leaders look at planning they HAVE done and aren’t satisfied with the results they obtained. Such results can be a powerful negative deterrent to doing any planning at all. And while our plan may have given us poor outcomes, it’s not the planning itself that’s the problem, but most often the way it was done. Good planning will take time, and it should be structured – done around certain principle areas. Let’s look at what those principal areas are.
PRINCIPLES FOR PLANNING Good planning starts with looking at the results or outcomes that are needed. Those results might include increased use of our product or service. They might include increased customer satisfaction with us, or better patient outcomes. They may just be plain, old-fashioned making more money! Whatever they are, good planning begins with a clear understanding of the desired results.
Time also need to be considered, and in two important areas. First, the actual time to plan must be enough for effectiveness. This can be hard because we aren’t ‘doing’ when we’re planning. But as we saw earlier, not taking the proper amount of time to plan can generate large amounts of wasted time later, and that wasted time affects productivity, staff morale, and ultimately business success. It’s best to take the time for planning well.
Second, planning needs to include the time needed for doing the right work to get the right outcomes. Leaders need to know how much time will be needed for critical parts of the project or business. We have to consider time needed for marketing, for interacting with the customer, the actual cycle time for producing our services or products. We need to consider the time needed for maintenance – both of equipment and of us and our staff! We need to know how long it will take to get important information, and how long it takes to get it to others who need it. So planning time is a principle leaders must use in planning.
The third principle is planning for resources. This is obvious, but it has to be done systematically. We have to consider the resources necessary to bring us the very best results. Those resources will include money: for marketing, equipment, proper staffing, space to work. They will include the materials themselves: what materials, what equipment, what kind of space, what information? And they include people: what skills will my people need? How many people? Where will the people be needed? So planning for resources is critical to a successful planning effort.
Fourth and finally, really good planning means planning for information. What information will be needed for each part of the project to work well? How quickly can I get it, and do others need it quickly from us? Planning for information means knowing where to get the information, who has it and is it the best? The right information at the right time in the right form is critical to effective businesses, more so now than ever before in history. So the last principle in planning is planning for information.
PRIMACY OF PLANNING To sum it up, good planning is always the foundation of good business success. Good planning involves knowing the results you want, taking enough time to plan, planning for the time needed to run the project or process well, planning for the resource needs, and assessing the information needs for the project.
No matter how skilled workers are, or how good leaders are, or how state-of-the-art equipment is, a poor plan – or no plan – will bring it all to nothing. Take the time to plan well.
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