BUSINESS LEADERS: SAY GOOD-BYE TO THE BAD TIMES AND START PREPARING FOR THE GOOD

Read just about any newspaper or watch the evening news and youll likely find reports about the economy picking up. Since it seems the worst of economic times may be over, business leaders now need to focus on planning for the good times ahead. Just because a plan brought a company out of a financial slump doesnt mean that same plan will help sustain or increase profits for the next quarter.

Read just about any newspaper or watch the evening news and youll likely find reports about the economy picking up. Businesses are reporting higher quarterly earnings, and many companies, including the nations number one automaker General Motors, are actually beating Wall Street expectations.

Since it seems the worst of economic times may be over, business leaders now need to focus on planning for the good times ahead. Just because a plan brought a company out of a financial slump doesnt mean that same plan will help sustain or increase profits for the next quarter. If a business is to advance, CEOs must devise a new strategy, or perhaps revise an old one, to reach the new goals.

It all comes down to proper planning," says Business Performance Expert Pamela Harper. Even the savviest executives can inadvertently drive their organizations into strategic gridlock without proper planning." A CEO may have a great idea, but no matter how much promise that idea holds, the CEO will only transform it into high performance results if the execution plan paves a clear path between the vision and where the organization actually is now.

Most executives have a natural tendency to focus heavily on selecting strategies that best complement their objective, and rightly so. Unfortunately, many leaders base their execution plan on assumptions about their organizations capability and willingness to carry out the steps of the plan. The fact is, making decisions about how to integrate the priorities, goals, and actions of the strategic plan into an organizations other strategies and everyday operations is just as critical to business performance as selecting the right" strategies or initiatives.

The first goals and action steps you select set the tone for everything that follows," Harper asserts. When an execution plan starts at a place thats in line with organizational reality, your company will more easily move from the present to the desired objective." By tailoring a new plan to meet your companys needs, you can put the past behind you, reach your goals, and be better prepared for the good times ahead.

Pamela Harper is an internationally known consultant and speaker and is the founder and president of Business Advancement, Inc. Since 1991, BAI has helped leaders of entrepreneurial, middle market and Fortune 500 Companies transform their business strategies into high performance results.

You can find more information in Pamela S. Harpers Preventing Strategic Gridlock®: Leading Over, Under, & Around Organizational Jams to Achieve High Performance Results (Cameo Publications, $19.95, ISBN 0-9715739-4-8). For a review copy, please contact Paula Duncan at 1-866-372-2636 or send an email to marketing@cameopublications.com.