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© 2010, © 2011 LARRY BROUGHTON, All rights reserved.
Are you an employee, manager, entrepreneur or business owner who is working too hard for the results you get? I hear this all the time from friends, colleagues and clients. You’ll be glad to know there is a better way. According to Inc. Research, having a planning process is the most robust indicator of whether your business will grow.
Unfortunately, almost 88% of organizations, managers and leaders do not utilize a planning process.
If you think the process of planning is overwhelming or takes too much time, you are going to love this….
The 1 H
our Plan for Growth – How a Single Sheet of Paper Can Take Your Business to the Next Level is an incredible new book by my friend, Business Strategist, Joe Calhoon. Joe details his proven process for business planning that takes one hour to develop and fits on a single sheet of paper. This book is a quick read filled with step-by-step exercises as well as inspiring real-life examples of successful businesses. I assure you it will help you, your employees, and your business stay energized and focused on your most important priorities. I’m willing to put my name on the line, as my testimonial appears in the book.
If you would like to join the 10% of businesses that are experiencing business growth, I highly recommend that you click on this link and check out The 1 Hour Plan for Growth!
**FYI, Joe has helped over 400 business clients navigate their way to growth and success, and while working with Stephen Covey, was the most requested and highest rated speaker with Covey Leadership Center. He has served as a mentor and presenter at my company’s (Broughton Hotels) annual leadership retreat.
We LOVE a challenge, don’t we? But don’t we love SUCCESS even more? Why is it then that we get stuck in the rut of inaction, or continue trying to push a plan that clearly doesn’t work?
I’ve heard the term “rut” described as a grave with openings at both ends. Seems pretty fitting to me.
I’m surprised at how often we drive our success into a ditch, simply because we’re determined to stick to our original plan. We can see treacherous roads ahead of us, but we decide to stick to our doomed plan anyway because “my 600 page business plan says this is how we should do things.”
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big believer in having a good plan of attack…but keep in mind that every plan is a good one until the first shot is fired. There’s a common adage in military circles that “no plan survives contact with the enemy.” As with warriors, entrepreneurs must remain agile and be willing to make mid-course corrections when our plans go sideways (and they will go sideways).
Take a look at my Success Spiral above: Once you’ve identified a challenge or need that must be filled, do the legwork with friends and colleagues to collect data and develop ideas. Create a PRELIMINARY Plan (I say “preliminary” because it will certainly change), then take RAPID ACTION. Too many wannabes get stuck in analysis-paralysis creating their perfect tome of a business and marketing plan. Don’t be one of them.
One of my favorite quotes by General George S. Patton is: “A good plan violently executed today is better than a perfect plan next week.” He doesn’t say we should develop a spectacular plan, or even a great plan, and then execute it when the stars are aligned…he suggests we develop a GOOD plan, and then move out smartly to get things done!
The next phase of the Spiral is to Observe and Evaluate the effectiveness of the plan, then tweak the program, if needed, and make Mid-Course Corrections. Take rapid action again, and repeat the process.
Most of your “competitors” are too afraid of failure to take action; all you need to do is take those first few steps to get your momentum going. Now, move out!
Was this at all helpful?
OK, if you made it this far, I could use your help…should I call this the “Success Spiral” or the “Success Cyclone?” I’d appreciate your thoughts. Thanks.
It was 10 years ago this month that I founded my hotel company, Broughton Hospitality. It has sure been an amazing journey full of excitement, recessions, wars, excitement, fear, continual growth, and excitement. If you’ve known me for any amount of time you know I’m eternally grateful to my team members who have sacrificed and contributed to building what has become a leader in the boutique hotel industry.
I’ve been blessed to have had countless people in my corner cheering me on, encouraging me, and supporting me in unimaginable ways. Yet, despite the success, rewards and accolades we’ve received, I’ve had my share of detractors, naysayers, and fear mongers throwing bricks at my dreams. When I was preparing to start my new company, and several times since (particularly during economic downturns), there have been plenty of folks who have suggested we take an easier road. I have heard the lines “just you wait and see” and “I told you so” more than I can count. Some have suggested, “stay where you are, it’s safer there.” Others encouraged me to “get a job.”
I’ve always tried to accurately survey the business battlefield and weigh the advice of my trusted allies, but in the end, it has been my decision to move forward. (Seems to be working so far.) Here’s a quote that I’ve held on to for a long time that has helped sustain me…I hope it touches you too:
“A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.” David Brinkley
Here we are again, looking ahead at a new year of seemingly unlimited potential. 2011 looks particularly bright at our hotel company, Broughton Hotels.
We just celebrated our 10th anniversary as a company and this issue of our company magazine marks five years of BROUGHTON QUARTERLY. This issue was just sent off to the printer today, and will be making its way to mail boxes, in-boxes and Broughton hotel rooms in the next couple of weeks. What began as a simple six-page newsletter slapped together in a corner cubicle has evolved into a creative lifestyle magazine with more than 100,000 readers each season. We’re proud of our success and look forward to raising the bar even higher in the years ahead.
While we can’t spotlight all the deserving “Women of Broughton territory” in a single issue, I can’t imagine a better theme to celebrate our entry into the next stage of our life cycle—as a company and as a magazine. It’s been said that women were created to be “durable yet soft to the touch … able to function on strong coffee and a quick bite with little sleep. She needs to be able to handle multiple children and a husband, which at times can be one and the same. She needs a strong mind to provide reason and practicality. She must also have a kiss and an embrace that will cure anything from a cut finger to a broken heart. All this, not to mention the three eyes and four pairs of hands she will need to take care of her family.”
Sure, it’s a funny description. But it’s also a telling illustration of the importance of women—in our homes and out in the world. Indeed, the two highest IQ scores ever recorded belong to women (who, by the way, live longer than men and outnumber men by 4 million here in the U.S.). The word “woman” may have derived from the Middle English word “wyfman,” or wife of man, but the role of women has changed considerably in the past 60 plus years. Today it’s a given that they excel in athletics, the arts, entrepreneurial ventures, international philanthropy, and education, to name a small handful of accomplishments.
One hundred years ago, in March of 1911, International Women’s Day was created to celebrate the economic, political, and social achievements of women past, present, and future. In our fifth anniversary edition of Broughton Quarterly, we’re tipping our hats to all the women of Broughton territory by spotlighting just a few. In the months and years ahead, look for long-form stories about some of the notable ladies we didn’t include in the mix this time. With just 40 pages, we opted to let their stories ripen a little longer. When the time is right and we have the amount of pages they deserve, we’ll introduce you. Here’s hoping all your dreams, visions, passions, and endeavors come to fruition in the New Year!
If you want a free electronic subscription to BQ delivered four times each year, please sign up by clicking HERE.
We’re turning 10! It was 10 years ago on January 1st that I founded my hotel company, Broughton Hotels! In spite of two of the most significant recessions our country has experienced, we’ve been blessed with amazing success. We have some great hotels in our portfolio, with some spectacular ones coming on board in 2011, and even better team members who make my life much better than it should be.
To celebrate our birthday, I’m giving away a 2-night stay at our Andreas Hotel & Spa in Palm Springs, California! What? Too much stress in your life? We can help you with that. We’ll throw in a relaxing, rejuvenating couples’ massage in our spa (complete with Champagne and chocolates).
Are you interested? All you have to do is leave a comment here and I’ll pick a winner via Random.org on New Years Day (our birthday). Good luck!
(Winner will receive a certificate from Broughton Hospitality. Reservation must be booked through contact person at Broughton Hospitality Home Office. Certificate is redeemable for any weekday in 2011, Sun-Thurs, some black-out days may apply.)
