Planning for Success

How Your Strengths Contribute to the Plan

Nearly all of us welcome the start of each New Year with reflection and resolutions about the year ahead.  The resolutions are typically filled with good intentions, but we often will miss our goals if we try to implement them without a well-rounded and robust plan.

Planning is an essential component of success and “a good plan is like a roadmap; it shows the final destination, and usually the best way to get there” (H. Stanley Judd)

As you consider your goals or how you can best contribute to an established plan, looking to your proven strengths is a great way to get a solid start in arriving at your final destination.  Even better, is to understand how each member of your team contributes to the plan.

Each of the four quadrants brings particular strengths to the planning process, and then to implementing that plan. At a very high level here is what that looks like:

The red quadrant brings speed to the process. A red plan is all about being decisive and moving decisions to action quickly. Their emphasis is on the tasks that make up the plan.

The blue quadrant brings direction to the process. A blue plans by taking time to think through complexity, and making sure we are sure of our direction before we begin to take action. Their emphasis is on the impact and consequences of the plan.

‘Reds’ and ‘Blues’ make good partners when planning because their opposing strengths are complimentary to each other.

The green quadrant brings flexibility and conviction to the process. A green plan may focus on being responsive and changing quickly to meet shifting business circumstances and being assertive in doing so. Their emphasis is on flexibility in managing key relationships.

The yellow quadrant brings focus and accountability to the process. A Yellow plan is about staying the course with the process and plans we have established and giving them time to work. Their emphasis is on details that lead to a successful implementation of the plan.

‘Greens’ and ‘Yellows’ make good partners in planning because their opposing strengths complement each other.

For more insight to the strengths of each quadrant go the Team Dynamics report in imapMyTeam and review your teams strengths.