Newsletter: I don't think therefore I plan?

This month we address the topic of planning. well, we think we address that topic, see what you think ....

Because most planning isn't practical is it? If it were we would all be planning thoroughly and professionally. But we are generally happy to run work the same as we have always done and repeat mistakes from the past. (This does have a benefit though, it does give us the ability to sound wise and say "I told you that would happen")

If we do plan, mostly we follow processes – we take up huge chunks of our day producing endless charts and sign off forms. There just isn't time for all this paperwork. Planning just isn't practical is it?

The problem isn’t a lack of planning, it’s a lack of proper thinking.

I used to have a boss who would ask not to be disturbed for 30 minutes because he would be thinking. Quite a bold move because he didn’t look at all busy. Goodness knows what it did for his image. A thinker among us? What does he actually do? Not many people linked the smooth flow of his department with his time taken out thinking, they would probably rather he was looking busy. 

We don't seem to get paid for thinking. And isn't that EXACTLY what we should get paid for? Stopping doing and thinking?

When we think, planning falls out naturally. Because when we think we are generally imagining a scenario and working through it in our heads. A past scenario we are imagining what led to a problem. A future scenario we are imagining what to do. Both scenarios invaluable for planning.

Here is an idea. At a team meeting, offer a topic for decisions, then ask everyone to say and do nothing (except think about it) for 2 minutes. Boy that silence hurts. But at least the team will be doing what we employed them to do ... using our brains rather than blindly following prescribed process or formed habit patterns.

As for planning? It will start to fall out of giving attention to our thinking processes. Start with setting aside time to think. Maybe a walk around the block. Maybe whilst travelling. It's often easier to think outside the office environment, but a great challenge is to book a room, go in it on our own, and just think. 

And another challenge? Ask our staff. 'What have you been thinking about this week'? (Try and keep them focused on work topics by the way). It would be interesting to see what happens as they learn that we EXPECT them to think.

And finally, we must concede of course that some planning tools like definiton documents, work breakdowns, risk registers etc do help us to think.  But do we want a culture where people think because they have to fill in a form? Or a culture where they think because thinking through things is rewarded?



Mark Miller is Director of Goodfoot., click here for further details