STAR Performance

Plans are important to success, but our efforts cannot end with a plan. There has to be action—real, tangible, mud-on-your-hands action. Just as it is true that action without plans may lead us in the wrong direction or simply be inefficient, it’s also true that planning without action is just a waste of time. In most cases, the planning portion of our efforts should be relatively small in comparison to the action—an ounce of planning for pounds and pounds of action. All too often, we jump into the pounds of action before taking time for the ounce of planning. The result is typically in line with the proverb about struggling to the top of the ladder only to realize the ladder is leaning on the wrong wall.

When we have the clarity of a plan that provides purpose and direction, a target to aim for, and an objective to strive toward, we will accomplish so much more.

If we start construction of a major skyscraper without any blueprints or engineering analysis, we aren’t likely to have a successful project when all is said and done. Blueprints are the tactical plans for building projects. Even before the blueprints are drawn up, the architect needs to know what we want to accomplish and why the building needs to be designed. Otherwise, we may end up with a perfect design for an office building when what we really need is a museum. On the same note, though, if we design the most impressive blueprints and construction plans but never break ground, erect steel, or build anything, what was the point? Thomas Edison said, “Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration.” He understood that thought had to be given to why effort was being made and what one hoped to accomplish by doing the work. At the same time, he also understood that having such a plan is not the end of the project; it is the beginning. He knew one had to put much effort into taking action—perspiration—if success was to be achieved.

STAR

The point of this book is to draw the lines of connection between the planning and the doing. STAR is an acronym for strategy, tactics, action, and results. We must weave these components together in such a fashion as to achieve tangible performance improvements. Planning involves defining the strategy and tactics that will be used going forward. The doing involves getting your hands dirty in diligent action and the close look at the results of that action. When each of these components—strategy, tactics, action, and results—is illustrated as an arrow, we want to see those arrows all pointing at the same target. If they point in random directions, we end up with nothing but a bunch of arrows leading us nowhere. When they all point at the same target, as illustrated, the STAR becomes apparent. Planning (Strategy and Tactics)

Our performances can only be optimized or improved when we carefully and intentionally march through each step in this process in order of priority. Setting a strategy must always come first. This is because our strategy defines both what we are going to do and why we are going to do it. It also defines the principles by which we will govern our actions and those of our organizations.

A tactical plan that carefully defines how we will work toward the strategic plan is also part of the planning process. As a matter of fact, tactical planning should be the bulk of the planning process because it defines the operations or programs that will let us fulfill our strategies. It is the final component of planning before we step out and take action, and it is critical when we desire to raise a team of people working toward the same objective. It determines what tactics will be used to achieve success and what programs and projects will be pursued to bring about that vision defined in the strategy. Without a tactical plan, our team may work extremely hard, but everyone isn’t necessarily rowing in the same direction. At best, we’ll struggle heavily to stay on course, but most likely, we’ll just be going in circles. Doing (Action and Results)

Some get caught up in the planning and never start doing. This is a critical mistake. Planning is essential, but I would liberally apply the eighty/twenty rule such that we spend 20 percent of our time planning and 80 percent doing. This ratio is not set in stone, of course. It is merely meant to emphasize that we do not want to overlook the planning, but we don’t want to overemphasize it either. Once a plan has been developed, we want to focus our attention on getting it done. This doing should consume most of our time and efforts.