Vision & Strategic Planning

When I was a young president of GIA back in the late 1980s, we set out to strategically plan the future of the organization.  The process began with images of a desired future based on a very successful past.  That future became very real, even compelling, based on an unbridled set of outcomes that we envisioned for the decade ahead: international expansion, a new headquarters campus, laboratory growth, increased research & development, and more.

But you don’t have to own or run a company, or be involved in a business the size of GIA today, to realize that you have to create a vision for your future and a strategic plan for how you’re going to get there.  Vision is more about imagining what the future could look like and strategic planning is developing the actions that will allow you to achieve that vision.

Every corporation or business entity (including every individual) should take the time necessary to envision its future, and to harness the resources – both human and capital – to allow that future to materialize.  Yet budgeting the time and money, and putting in the effort to do this, is often the last thing that business owners and managers will do.

With the new year in full swing, I encourage you to think through a new vision for your future, and to develop a plan to see it through.  It is the visioning process that will take you where you’ve never been before, and it is the planning process that will help you get there.
For those of you who are gem enthusiasts and are gearing up for Tucson 2015, or for those of you who are on the fence about the power of color, here is a quick rundown of reasons I think you should buy and stock colored gemstones…..

Eight Reasons to Buy and Stock Colored Gemstone Jewelry

Here are a few Business & Life Tips to think about…..

Business Tips:

• To get ahead, come to work a little early and stay a little late. If you’re in charge, work harder and smarter than everyone else.
• The fear of failure keeps us holding on to what we know, whereas letting go can help us discover our next big opportunity.
• Good succession planning is vital in the jewelry business. Learn to let go and to empower youth to take over.

Life Tips:

• Want a mentor? Then look for someone with experience and wisdom who can provide trusted counsel. Think “personal coach.”
• The best way to show respect to people is to listen carefully to what they say. Focus on them, not you. Listen with serious intent.
• Things are never as good or as bad as they appear to be. Get a good nights sleep. Things will look better in the morning.

Tags: Advice, Business, Business Development, Business Tips, Determination, Developing Leaders, Drive, Knowledge, Leaders, Leadership Excellence, Life Tips, Management, Motivation, People Leaders, Success, The Mind of a Leader, Vision