The Second Lesson: Develop the Blueprint

It’s been almost two months since my last post- two months of political, economic and societal change that few people, if anyone, had an existing blueprint.  Values, instincts honed by experience and values, and what an old boss of mine defined as “rat-like cunning” are all on display.

So is planning for change still possible and practical? I believe that without at least a conceptual framework and understanding of key change principles the alternative is fear and “circling the drain”. 

The  current book we’re discussing, Lessons from Private Equity Any Company Can Use, suggests that organizations do the following when they invest in a new venture;

• Develop a road map for 3-5 key initiatives and focus
• Start macro, and work down to what you will do differently on “Monday morning.8 am” – that is, the actional to-do list
• Be specific and pragmatic
• Let the facts win the day
• Create excitement and alignment
• Budget two to six months (at least the first time)

This bulleted list proposes to balance action, facts, and emotion with focus and alignment to choose, drive, and maintain critical business initiatives. Since an investor’s time frame is now 3-5 years (if not 7 depending on how our economy evolves) the day-by-day roller coaster is annoying but manageable. Certainly “things happen” but aside from war, death, and disease (both personal and organization) the path remains open.

You may have noticed that I’l retitled my blog and primary business Sustainable Ventures Alliance LLC. My reasoning is that businesses must focus on sustainability first and that alliances allow access to talented people, capital, and customers. I’ll be writing more about this concept in future blogs and as always, welcome your comments.