Monthly Issue
From Home Furnishing Business
Editor's Letter: Got the Team – Where is the Plan?
July 12,
2018 by HFBusiness Staff in Business Strategy, Industry 
By Bob George,
At the risk of dating myself, I remember a much used quote by George Peppard in the hit series The A Team- “I love it when a plan comes together.”
Within this issue we have honored outstanding individuals that have made significant contributions to their companies. Their contribution in the future will make the difference in a good performance and outstanding performance for their employers. Without a doubt, to achieve outstanding performance, companies need the talents of these individuals.
However, even with an outstanding employee, all companies do not achieve this level of performance. Just like the addition of an outstanding player will not necessarily mean winning the championship. Many sports team owners have suffered season after season with hopes of what that new talent will contribute.
What is the difference – a team with chemistry that is driven to succeed? As is mentioned later in the magazine, it takes passion. Not just passion from the individual, but passion from the team. The glue that binds these passionate individuals together is shared purpose. Whether it is “we are going to be the dominant retailer in our market” or “we are going to turn around our underperforming operation,” it is a shared vision.
And finally a plan. In the eighties, companies laboriously created five year plans with each functional area making their contribution under the umbrella of a mission/vision /goals statement by the CEO. Without a doubt, the process was a burden with hours of analysis. However, the power was not so much the document but the critical thought behind the development of the numbers – the KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). Whether it’s the “play book” for a football team or a “5 year plan” for a company, each individual needs to know what is expected of them. The Graphic illustrates the KPIs. Associate each of your team members that are responsible with the graphic. Do they know their role to achieve success?
Even though the excuse for not doing the five year plan is the fast pace of today’s business, maybe it is because of this excuse that we need a plan more than ever.