Keep Going Back to the Drawing Board

By Joel Block

Sometimes the best well-intentioned plans don't work out as you expect, and in every case, it's necessary to debrief and regroup. And sometimes you even have to go back to the drawing board.

This process is a critical one for businesses because when the best-laid plans don't work out the way that you expect, you have to learn from the experience that you had and create new plans and strategies based on the parts that worked and modifying the parts that didn't work. But be careful not to "throw the baby out with the bathwater."

In the process of debriefing, consider what is going well. Ask yourself the question "What did we do that worked in this situation?" and then consider what did not work. Always be open-minded about changing the things that are not working so that you can continue to move in the direction that will help you to achieve the goals for the program or project that you've set up.

If you find that something is not working the way that you wanted, or if something is not delivering the anticipated outcome, don't be bashful and don't be stubborn about debriefing and regrouping. There's nothing wrong with changing course if you find that something is not delivering the intended outcome.

Going through the process of debriefing is critical for teams. It's much more difficult to do this by yourself, but you have to sit and ask hard questions about what you've done, what's working, why it's working, what's not working, and why it's not working. By being open-minded about how your strategy is doing, and why it's working and why it's not, you will continually evolve your strategy so that you can have the outcome that you want.

About Joel G. Block

Often dubbed a "Growth Architect" by his clients, Joel Block advises companies on explosive growth strategies by driving revenue and sales. Well known in the capital markets, Joel is a successful entrepreneur, speaker and advisor. To bring Joel into your company, please visit www.joelblock.com or www.growth-logic.com.

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