The power of the strategic plan

In today’s corporate world, whether you are in business, charity, ministry, sports, politics or even the academia it’s important for you to have an understanding of strategic planning. A plan is a document that should take you from where you are to where you want to be! A strategic plan looks into the future and tries to take eventualities and contingencies into consideration.

To develop a strategic plan, the organization will have to go through a number of stages which take the form of questions, as follows: 

•      Where are we now? - The analysis of the current situation.

•      Where do we want to be in the future? - Setting the objectives and the goals

•       How are we going to get there? – Creating the strategy( the details of the plan)

•      How will we know when we get there? - Monitoring and evaluation of outcomes.

Often we add a couple of other questions to the list to enable us have a more detailed picture:

            How long will it take us to get there? A time element should be involved for measurement

            What will we meet on the way? There are obstacles and hindrances that we have to overcome

             What will we need to get there? Tools comparative advantages, personnel          

Asking yourself these questions would keep you on your toes and enable a proper planning process.

Never keep the plan in your head thinking: “I have no need to write it down, because I know it back to front”. Writing it down does a lot of things for you:

1. It would enable you put the plan into a proper perspective

2. It would bring out some missing links or things you probably overlooked in the planning process

3. It would keep your plan realistic and keep your head out of the clouds so that you do not imagine too many things or take details for granted

4. It would enable you put a proper cost to the planning. You will be able to itemize the resources properly and account for what you want to spend and use.

5. A written plan would serve as guideline for you in case you end up swaying from your original intentions or you get the details mixed up.

One thing we ought to be able to do is find out if we are making progress. We should be able to ask ourselves how close we are to the goal we have set for ourselves. Mile stones in the shape of achievables or deliverables ought to be listed out to assure us how well we are doing. For instance,

if we say we want to be number one in our sector, there should be Key performance indicators that should show us how close we are to being number one.  The indicators could be numbers, market share, clientele profile or even the time of growth compared to other competitors in the sector.

Planning is invaluable, but strategic planning, anticipating most of the eventualities that could occur is the greatest form of planning that any manager should embark upon.

           

            

So you are talented, but is talent enough?

The modern Human Resources Manager is consistently on the lookout for talent to serve as a competitive advantage for his organization. On the recruitment and selection of a talent it bothers on the managers to ensure that the skills and gifts of the selected staff are used maximally to achieve the organizations goals and objectives: Thus the phrase: Talent Management.

Achieving an organization's goals and objectives should be more of a guarantee, not big talk! The knowledge skill and ability of the people concerned should breed confidence. The key question rings large in the minds of HRMs and line managers: Who can do the job?

Success versus Talent

Talent is not enough. Management analysts note that there is little correlation between man’s effectiveness, intelligence, talent, imagination and knowledge. The questions therefore arise: what does it take to succeed and where does talent fit? There are three perspectives:

1 Everyone has talent! People may have equal value but not necessarily equal giftedness. Some People have multiple talents. Most people have fewer abilities. All of us can do something well. Someone is always capable of doing something better than as many as the next 10,000 people. What is your strength zone? Find it and use it. In the organization that job of finding the strenght zone is the  HRMs

2. Develop the talent you have. Why do people spend more time trying to strengthen their weaknesses in skills development? Why not spend more time strengthening your strengths? (Apart from attitude and character which need to be worked on always) technical abilities can always improve if we put our minds and practice to it! Lawyers, doctors, speakers, teachers, musicians and fighters can always improve their performance level with practice, additional training and additional skills acquisition. Multiple award winning football recently said "   "I have kept growing off the field and on it. I am improving and adding things to my game, every day I enjoy being a footballer more" There is always an upper level we can make and meet if we work towards it. Again from the organizational perspective the HRM and his training associates have to draw up programmes that help strenghten these areas. 

3. Everyone can make choices that add value to talent. Apart from natural talent, key choices you make will set you apart from others.  Choose, for instance, to associate with people in your area of specialty who can influence you to do better. Choose to consistently think of ways in which your performance level can be improved. Focus and concentration is required in some professional callings, deep thinking and speedy analysis is required in others. What is your requisition? Find it and apply it.

So if we marry improving talent with the right attitude and skills we should be on our way to getting the best performance available in our area of operation. The competitive edge is coming as much from people as from products. The optimum use of peoples’ individual competencies is in order to match the organizational goals
If you are in top management you need to develop yourself. If you have top managers in your organization, do not leave thier development to chance. Engage them! There are some key areas in which top managers need to be developed consistently in major organizations:
New attitudes and behaviors that would promote culture change. \
We live in a changing world. Organizations are consitently in the flux over change. The work environment, climate, markets and customers are consistently changing and so we have to prepare our managers to change to suit conditions and demands.
Styles of empowerment and innovation are also changing drastically. Top managers are giving more authority and power for decisionmaking activity and they are being schooled in methods in which they can innovate and introduce new methods and approaches into their work activity on a regular basis.
New markets are opening up for different products on a regular basis. Sometimes it takes a different level of expertise to spot or identify new markets. A lot of the new markets in today's world are either hidden, esoteric or difficult to penetrate. specialized training is in order to enable managers to look in odd and unexpected places and understand new trends.
Managers are also in  need of knowledge that would help them maximize the use of technology.

Nigeria portends a big market for all manner of products and services. Some of this demand for services is readily recognizable, where as the other demands need to be subtly enticed out of the would be consumer.

How empowerment is failing in Africa

A governor of the middle belt state of Nigeria acquired wheelbarrows and distributed them as part of his empowerment scheme in his state. His logic was: If you have a wheelbarrow you have a tool to work with. The question many of his critics asked was: What kind of empowerment is a wheelbarrow?
There have sundry reports of youths who have risked their lives traveling to North African countries so as to cross the Mediterranean into Europe. Many people have perished at sea and in the desert because of this risky venture. Italian authorities recently investigated the deaths of 26 girls, mostly Nigerians who were found dead at sea with evidence of sexual abuse and violation. The continual exodus of youths from African countries is caused by a loss of hope in the future of their countries

   

The concept and meaning of empowerment has different interpretations to various kinds of people. One general description says its “measures designed to increase the degree of autonomy and self determination of people.” In an organization it is defined as “a management practice of sharing information, rewards and power with employees.”Empowering people is generally giving them opportunities to advance their fortunes in commerce, politics and national perspectives. Leadership determines to a large extent how, when and why people are empowered. Sadly, the African society demonstrates very few opportunities of empowerment for its people. The basic necessities that are taken for granted in various developed countries are grossly absent in many poverty stricken African nations. There is a high tendency for corruption in government, dishonesty and misappropriation in the use of public funds such that these countries cannot afford the necessary infrastructure for the people who live there.

The absence of stable electricity in West Africa is major factor of underdevelopment. If people do not have access to electricity they spend extra sums of money to generate their own. Activity that should be driven by electricity becomes absent or highly expensive to sustain.

Lagos, a city in South West Nigeria, suffers all the indicators of a society rigged with poverty and a gross lack of empowerment. There are large numbers of youths who are in jobs and activities that put a daily meal on their table, but do not produce anything. Many school leavers and drop outs are involved in football gambling and internet fraud and petty crimes for sustenance. Industry in Lagos is virtually dead. Importation of cheaper goods, lack of security and reduced access to energy has lead to the closure of many industrial organizations which could contribute to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country if they were still up and running. Industries are fast becoming obsolete in Nigeria. Many of them have multiple problems. They have no access to viable and affordable energy sources, no proper roads through which goods can be evacuated, constant harassment by law enforcement for cash gifts, multiple tax payments and competition against cheaper imports.

Minister for Agriculture and rural development in Nigeria Mr. Audu Ogbeh who had earlier declared that there would be ban on the importation of rice in December 2017 has since realized that an outright ban would be difficult to implement. Rice is currently grown in 18 states in Nigeria but the combined harvest of these states cannot meet the demand of the Nigerian rice consumers who currently eat over 500metric tons of the commodity every year. Nigeria is the largest importer of rice, oil and sugar in West Africa and holds a high up position for the importation of these products worldwide. Sadly, Nigeria is still importing N1trillion worth of food a year. Ogbeh says government in Nigeria cannot afford to finance rice farmers like they do in Thailand and other Asian countries. The question is: If government is not ready to subsidize farmers to help get agriculture off the ground then how does the farmer survive and how does agriculture thrive in a country like Nigeria? Giving the farmers loans, tools for production and outright purchases of their products as well as introducing processing mills that would prepare the rice for sale would go a long way in making a credible impact on rice production. But government has rejected that strategy.

Farmers in every major country where agriculture has flourished are not left to struggle on their own they are empowered by government who finances parts of their operations and reduces tax collection from them. Its not so in Nigeria.. Farmers have complained that Internal Revenue Service(IRS) have showed up at there farms threatening to shut them because of tax issues.

Economic empowerment should be such that start up and existing organizations that need help should have access to tools, necessary imports and tax holidays that would make them profitable and thereby help develop the economy. Many of our governments couldn’t care less.

By 2050 the emerging economies in the world: Brazil, India, Russia and China would have gone far ahead in terms of development. Brazil, in spite of economic challenges has made huge headway in the development of Computer Applications, India is becoming a hub for computer software and medical tourism, Russia is also making great forays into computer development, exploitation of gas reserves and warfare equipment, China is working on connecting all its cities by rail, increased automobile manufacturing and military hardware development. It is expected that China and India would be leading producer of manufactured products by the year 2050. Africa’s only hope in this race appears to be South Africa and even there, corruption and political turmoil is making  the country lag behind.If proper action is not taken, Nigeria would be left behind in scheme of manufacturing and at the height of service delivery. 

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The Competitive CEOs Skill set.

The skills you require to become a successful leader in your sector.

Cognitive ability

This is raw intellectual horse power and mental agility that helps your creativity and enables you understand situations and circumstances that are sometimes complex and maze-like to the ordinary eye. The ability to think on your feet and proffer solutions to nagging problems in a nick of time.

Strategic Thinking

Your thought process for the company or organization should not be based on the realities of the moment alone. Being strategic in your thinking is tuning your thoughts to the future, both immediate and long term. You ought to have the ability to think up scenarios and long term solutions even before they happen.

Analytical Ability

Ability to sort through diverse sources of information and see what’s important. You ought to be able to, within a short period of time, determine what is critical to continuity and success in an organization, a project or assignment. The analytical ability enables you to determine the most important factors.

Decision making ability

You ought to be able to make sound decisions with minimal risk in an environment of ambiguity and uncertainty.

Personal and Organizational Communication skills

Communication should be your strong point. Remember you are constantly engaging the troops (your followers/team members) and convincing them to tread a path that should lead you and the organization to meet your strategic business objectives. Close to the communication prowess is your ability to influence and persuade different groups. You ought to have salesman skills as well as an understanding of group dynamics.

Managing Diversity

Work groups, businesses and organizations are as diverse as they come in today’s business environment Prepare to manage people from different cultures, gender, age and so on.

Managing Talent

Hiring the best you can find is always an advantage.  But retaining and developing talented people is another story entirely. Thriving CEOs need to learn how to do this.

Ability to learn

Continuous learning should be a commitment and practice of Chief Executive Officers. You ought to be able to learn from your team and adopt the best skills and strategies from them without being intimidated or threatened. You do not have to be the smartest guy in the company to be the CEO.