Strategic planning, in the words of Stephen Covey, is important but not urgent. In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Covey quotes Goethe: “Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.” (If you have not done it recently read the Habit 3 section of the book.) Most of the time possessed by a non-planning small business owner is appropriated to urgent but relatively unimportant items. Many times these urgent items are items that should have been delegated instead of coming to the personal attention of the owner. Planning must be of such a priority as to be scheduled in advance, accomplished with discipline, and documented in writing. Then it must be reviewed and revised at regular intervals.
Another reason for an owner not planning is described best by the often-heard remark: “Why plan? Things never turn out the way you plan.” Of course the crushing answer to this foolishness is: “If you do not plan, you never get to ask, think about, and answer the important and illuminating question, why didn’t things work out the way I planned?” Frequently the small business owner is forced to plan (to get a loan or financing) but after the event is over, the plan is not revisited. The question (“Why didn’t things work out the way I planned?”) is not asked and an opportunity to learn and revise the plan (thus documenting the learning) is lost.
Sometimes the true path is found when short-term planning is effective, and the good habits with good results lead to longer term planning. Sometimes the effectiveness of group planning is discovered with the benefits of strategic planning. Unfortunately, most of the time the business owner is motivated by urgency and not importance.
