by Michael Holland
Are you struggling as a leader to figure out how you’ll get everything done? Consider adjusting your “planning assumptions”: those parameters or guidelines that act as guard rails to keep you aligned on your original path. Planning assumptions are great when they help to keep you moving forward on autopilot, creating managerial habits. But sometimes we take these planning assumptions for granted, not realizing how they may limit our perspective or block potential opportunities.
Great leaders seize upon opportunities to take a timeout to identify, challenge, and adjust their planning assumptions periodically. Intellectually, this sounds simple enough. But the real work comes in identifying your planning assumptions because often, these are deeply ingrained in your habits and culture. A great example might be how you have created work structures around the needs of your employees. Think for a minute: how would your replacement deal with the special work arrangements you’ve made with your employees? Would the new boss allow Johnny to continue working a staggered schedule? Would the new boss dismantle your work flow and processes? Would the new boss limit the specialization of work or internal partnerships? Would the new boss agree with your prime directive (that overriding theme driving your vision for where your team or organization is heading)?
Coaching Thoughts – For You and Your Peers
- Invest 30 minutes to thinking to honestly and identify your planning assumptions, then challenge yourself to address those areas which are either too enabling or too restrictive. Write down your prime directive and think: how does it drive your decision making?
- How you have created work structures around the needs of your employees? How would your replacement deal with the special work arrangements you’ve made with your employees?
- Would the new boss allow Johnny to continue working a staggered schedule?
- Would he/she dismantle your work flow and processes?
- Would he/she limit the specialization of work or internal partnerships?
- What about your prime directive (that overriding theme driving your vision for where your team or organization is heading): would the new boss agree with that?
