BLOG 121520: Why Plans Are Useless — It's Because of the VUCA Factors!

Why Plans Are Useless — It's Because of the VUCA Factors!

Dwight Eisenhower famously stated, that "plans are useless..." The second part of that statement is just as compelling...

He went on to assert, "but planNING is everything."

In this blog, I want to comment on why plans are useless and why planning is still critical, and it's pretty simple. 

In the last blog on planning (which you can read here), I mentioned the oft-summarized assertion by the renowned Prussian Field Marshall Helmut von Moltke that plans can go awry very quickly. Let's consider specifically why that happens.

The All-Important VUCA

It's due to "VUCA" factors.

I first heard this term from the author of the terrific book Predictable Prospecting, MaryLou Tyler. I spoke with MaryLou for about 90 minutes after listening in on a webinar she led through Rhythm Systems, Inc. Cindy Praeger, the president of Rhythm, was kind enough to connect us. In fact, MaryLou had used one of Chet Holmes's marketing concepts that I learned while working for Chet over a three-year period. She sent me a copy of her book (actually her second; her first one was Predictable Revenue).

VUCA stands for the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous.

These factors are always at play and can create havoc with any plans you might conceive and develop.

This is why Eisenhower said that plans were useless... once you make contact with the enemy (who gets a vote), all hell can break loose.

To account for VUCA occurrences, should you just throw your plans out the window?

No! Just understand the critical part and that is the P-L-A-N-N-I-N-G! Planning! 

Why is planning critical? Because effective planning makes you THINK. And, business is an intellectual sport (Cunningham). It requires thinking. The better your thinking, the better your results. Planning compels us to think... to think about the VUCA elements and plan for them. So, that's the main reason to plan. 

The second reason is that planning and plans inform you of what you need to do NOW... TODAY. 

If you've ever wondered whether you're on track or not, plans can help you determine that.

Action steps

Follow these three steps:

1. make the best plans possible, given your current knowledge and experience
2. don't become attached to them, and
3. remain flexible. Maintain your ability to change, to pivot, to reassess... and get going again.

I welcome your comments and questions.

If you need help with your plans and planning process, email me at jvcastiglia@icloud.com. We can talk about your specific situation and determine a way forward. 

Jim Castiglia, Founder 
Business Street Fighter Consulting, LLC
919-263-1256
http://www.BSF.Consulting