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Invited to Spring Training By Craig A. Steffen
This is one of my favorite times of the year. Weather is getting warmer, flora and fauna are
showing new signs of life and baseball is preparing for another glorious season.
Every spring, Major League Baseball teams pack up all their gear and
travel to a remote destination in order to prepare for the battles of the coming season. They do this because the system in which they play
is in a constant state of change and competition is fierce.
Their competitors are adding and subtracting players, coaches and
capabilities regularly. Even the fields and
rules change from year to year.
As one who advocates strategic planning and strategic marketing,
I’d suggest that every company ought to go through an annual ritual akin to
baseball’s spring training.
Baseball clubs leave the distractions of their offices, gather
together all their leaders and key players and go off-site.
They do so in order to focus their attention on getting answers to critical
questions facing their team. Some of those
questions are:
- What are the
strengths and weaknesses of my team?
- What members of my
team have great upside potential?
- What members of my
team may be in decline?
- What changes have
the competition made?
- What are my
competitor’s strengths and weaknesses?
- How can I align my
team’s strengths against the competitor’s weaknesses to gain the biggest
advantage?
- Have there been
significant playing field or rule changes?
When was the last time the leaders of your company went off-site to
focus on getting answers to critical questions like these regarding your company, your
business and your industry?
Can you imagine the disarray, confusion, and injury that would occur
if baseball teams just woke up on April 1 and ran onto the field for opening day? Communication would be poor, execution would be
comical, injuries would be abundant and no one would know what position to play. In business, the scenario is similar, though
perhaps not quite so dramatic. However, many of us would rather read books about managing
chaos than prevent much of it through strategic planning.
Companies who fail to avail themselves of an annual “spring
training” typically find that they spend an inordinate amount of time and money
changing directions, clarifying confusion and participating in considerable business
activity that will not get them where they want to go.
It’s never a bad time to focus your efforts, get the answers to
critical questions and develop a winning plan. Knowing
your own capabilities, those of your competitors and getting in shape to take advantage of
every opportunity is the best way to have a winning season -- and a great year in
business.
Paraclete consulting is happy to help you with this process.
Just click "Contact Us" and we'll provide a FREE consultation. |
