But what is “the process”?
By Dr. Burt Smith July 23rd, 2014
I know you’ve
heard success is a process, not an event
(ahem…that was last week’s
post, after all…). But what,
exactly, is this “process” we keep referring
to?
For the answer to that question, like so many that appear on the journey, we can simply go back to the basics. The very essence of the science of management, in fact. Management (and leadership) is the process of four ongoing activities. Four verbs, in other words – Planning, organizing, implementing, and controlling.
You first develop the plan (or
vision, or goal, whatever label you prefer) for what you want to
accomplish, you then gather the resources necessary to accomplish
the goal (people, money, materials, etc.), then you implement the
plan (the execution, launch, or actual “doing” of the
plan), and then you go back and compare the original plan with the
results in order to see what worked and what didn’t (the
control stage). The findings can then be used to develop more
plans and better plans in the future (back to the plan
step again). Plan, organize, implement and
control.
This one is simple in theory, but powerful in practice, so let me encourage you to be aware of how you use, or can use, this in your own world. Not just at “work,” but in everything you do, (learning, parenting, coping, you name it) break down the process into “Plan, organize, implement, and control” and see how working to improve on all the component parts can make the process more productive, faster, easier, more efficient, whatever.
And since you know it’s a
process, and since you know if you stick to it you can’t help
but be successful, why not make it a point to enjoy the
process rather than waiting to celebrate after you
achieve whatever you’re after?
I don’t believe in failure. It’s not failure if you enjoyed the process.” – Oprah Winfrey
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