PLAN IN THE MACRO BUT WORK IN THE MICRO

implementation management process Mar 18, 2019

Do you have a grand vision for the practice you would like to create, but get overwhelmed when you think about how you are going to get there?

This is a challenge for many advisors who know they need to wear the visionary CEO hat, but can't figure out how to translate that into action as the COO of their practice.

I have found that the key to wearing both hats effectively is to allow yourself to plan in the macro but work in the micro.

What does this mean?

Planning in the macro means being willing to think big, envision a dream scenario, and shoot for the stars without getting caught up in the HOW of it all.

Working in the micro means that you identify the next step you need to take today - or maybe this week - to move toward that vision.

Let's play this out with a little scenario:

Let's imagine that as the Chief Executive Officer of your practice, you feel your organizational purpose is to bring awareness to environmental issues facing the world today. You have a vision of running a 100% paper-free office in a LEED certified building. You will offer educational events dealing with helping clients live more environmentally-friendly lives. You will attract a like-minded community of both clients and Key Partners and continue to look for creative ways to be a leader in the environmental space.

Now, you put your Chief Operating Officer hat on and realize that you are SOOOOO far away from living that vision. You have an office in a traditional office building with filing cabinet full of paper files as far as the eye can see. You only have a couple clients interested in environmental issues.

Frankly it seems like a pipe-dream.

How do we connect the vision with realistic action?

Solidify the vision - find some way to encapsulate the vision in a document, a vision board, something that will remind you regularly of where you are headed.

Get real about where you are now - write a summary of your current situation. Identify 3-5 steps you can take in the next quarter based on your current reality. Create incentives for yourself and your team to celebrate accomplishing your next steps.

So, what might this look like for our environmental visionary advisor?

Next Steps:

-Institute a recycling program for paper and other recyclables in our office.

-Research digital imaging solutions for our client files.

-Add our purpose to our website.

-Identify local environmental non-profits to showcase and support.

-Replace toxic cleaning products with healthier alternatives.

Incentive: Close your office for 1 day and pay for your team to take a class or excursion together on an environmental topic.

Can you see that this plan does not solve all of the problems of how we will bring the full vision to fruition? But it does create actionable next steps that we can realistically tackle this quarter!

If we created a list like this every quarter for the next three years and took action, do you think we would be well on our way to the envisioned goal?

-We would be a leader in the environmentally friendly-business space for sure!

-We would be attracting clients who are passionate about environmentalism.

-We will have built deeper relationships with leaders in the environmental community.

The key to doing big things while avoiding overwhelming yourself is to plan in the macro, but then work in the micro. Identify those next steps, line them up and knock them down one-by-one!

With Purpose,

-Lucila

P.S. If you like this idea, but struggle with keeping your vision and next steps in front of you on a daily basis, you might want to check out the TIA Purpose Planner. I created a video training and printable TIA Purpose Planner Worksheet that you can get absolutely FREE!

PLAN IN THE MACRO BUT WORK IN THE MICRO

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