Many businesses prepare for the future with a plan, a written document that may have figures they hope to reach in sales or earnings, as well as other goals they hope to accomplish.  But the problem with these plans is that they are static.  They represent the company’s thinking at a certain point in time, under certain circumstances, and these all become enshrined in the document.

But if that plan is the only thing you’ve done to prepare for the future, you are in trouble – you won’t be ready when it gets here.  That plan may be your vision of the future, but it’s highly unlikely that it will be the actual future.  Obviously, it’s hard to see into the future because circumstances constantly change.

Now, a written plan isn’t a bad thing.  In fact, doing one once a year is actually a good thing.  If nothing else, it helps spell out for your company what your future goals are.

But you have to do more than just put together a written plan, because in reality it’s only a part of something bigger.   You also need to have another plan, one that stems from your growing understanding of what your company does, where it’s going, why you are moving in the direction that you are, and how you plan to get there.  This plan in your head is a lot more flexible and responsive to changing conditions.

The written plan may show your company’s direction several years down the road.  But the plan in your head is looking way beyond that.  It’s looking out as far as you can.  The plan in your head is constantly anticipating what may be coming at you, those things that now appear only as something nebulous and undefined.  But the plan in your head can get a sense of what is coming, whether it’s bad or good.  And as the nebulous future begins to show itself more clearly, you can then put it into your written plan.

If you’d like help in formulating a strategic staffing plan for your Tampa Bay-area firm, contact StaffEx. We can put our heads together and with our combined knowledge, business expertise — as well as the skilled candidates we will source for you — can help your firm become more flexible and profitable. We look forward to hearing from you!