When I was a district manager for Marshalls Department stores, myself and four of my store managers created a specific Planning Program that each store manager and assistant manager could use in planning their daily, weekly, and monthly activities. (disclosure: I am a planning enthusiasts) Since we created it, we felt it was an easy, but solid method of organizing the planning process. When I reviewed the program with the regional vice president, she asked me to send her the information and then asked if we could do a presentation to the entire region on this planning process, which we did.

It contained the basics of planning. What is your vision, what is your goal, what is your strategy to achieve this goal, and we created a form that would make it easier for each of the managers to create, communicate and follow up on their plans.

As we rolled out this plan to the district’s management team and as I followed-up to see how the individual managers were applying what they learned about planning, I noticed something interesting.

The managers that that thought they this planning guide was not necessary to use were the ones that needed them the most.

I would ask the managers that did not fully support this planning process why they did not, and the answer would be something like. ‘I walk into the store, see what needs to be done and then ask the employees to do it. I don’t need to create a plan’. I would calm myself and then ask simple questions like: How would you know if you had the resources to do the tasks that needed to be completed? Did you have the people, expertise, and resources to complete these tasks. Do you know what the people that reported to you were planning to do? How did you communicate to your team? These managers had a routine, however if the routine was disrupted, which often happened, important tasks simply did not get done.

The managers that were already good planners took the program and ran with it to further develop their skills. Very simply: they were the better, more productive managers because planning was important to them.

 If you are not a good planner, you will never be an excellent leader!

Plan, communicate, and execute the plan. Your life will be easier and your performance better.

And then the most important part, teach your team how to be excellent planners! If you want your life to be easier, teach others to be excellent planner!