A goal without a plan is just a wish

"Plan B or no Plan B? That is the question." "In the fine tradition of British people interacting with foreigners, Theresa May’s “Plan B” was to say Plan A again but LOUDER AND  S L O W E R” Theresa May recently set out her Brexit plan B to MPs (and it's just like Plan A). The deal will be debated in Parliament on January 29. A vote is expected the same day. 

Great results don't just happen. Relentless planning, all of it unglamorous, is the mainstay of our team's successes over the years. 

Without a plan, our teams would not know how to work towards the same goals. Everyone will be rowing as hard as they could, but without leading indicators, we would not know if we were off track and needed to make adjustments. 

Fire prevention is much more cost effective than firefighting! 

Growing organizations outgrow systems. In fact, the faster you grow, the more important it is to take the time to slow down and plan with your team.

To that end, I surround myself with people whose knowledge and judgement I trust. I welcome and actively seek multiple perspectives on any given problem, leveraging all available brainpower, including the more junior members of the team. 

The team has come to understand my values, and the more tenured members automatically transmits these values to the newer members. There is just a consistency of ideas. It's extraordinary what you achieve, especially if you have people with receptive minds who are eager to improve.

On my team, the best performers tended to be sticklers are preparation. That's part of the reason why there were good or great. 

Once set, I keep focus on results rather than method. Life and business are confusing enough without adding into the mix change for its own sake.

Why workplace friendship matters

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer became the first Manchester United manager to win his first six games, overtaking the legendary Sir Matt Busby who previously held the record for the best start for his five consecutive wins at the start of the 1946-47 season. The Norwegian has lifted the gloom over Old Trafford, recaptured the spirit of Manchester United, and brought the best out of several players. 

If you are leading a team - be it a group of coworkers or a sports team, a church gathering or your family dinner table - think about what message your choices send. Are you encouraging equality in speaking, or rewarding the loudest people? Are you demonstrating a sensitivity to what people think and feel or are you letting decisive leadership be an excuse for not paying as close attention as you should?

As a team leader, I feel it's important to give people control. But that works only when people feel like they can trust one another.

Getting a team into balance doesn't occur once. It requires perpetual work. I feel I am always re-tuning things - although, once in a while, I have to do more than a simple brake adjustment and oil change. We needed to change with the times, so we did. 

Every member of the team has got to understand that they are part of a jigsaw puzzle. Each team member has to understand the qualities and strengths of their team-mates, because everybody has off-days. 

Obviously I find it easier to get on with some team members rather than others, but I never allow that to cloud my judgement about what was best for the team. I just think a leader has to keep reminding himself to be clinical about these sorts of judgements. 

Another thing I have to look out for are character clashes. If people are so selfish that they are only thinking about themselves, it just doesn't work. When people start butting heads, it destroys a team.

Studies show that employees with a best friend at work tend to be more focused, more passionate and more loyal to their organizations. They get sick less often and change jobs less frequently. They even have more satisfied customers. A results of a joint study by management professors at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Minnesota was definite: Friends outperformed acquaintances. The reason? Friends were more committed at the start of the project, showed better communication while doing the activity and offered teammates positive encouragement every step of the way. They also evaluated ideas more critically and gave one another feedback when they were off course. 

Workplace friendships yield more productive employees because a poor effort means letting down your friends. The social pressure to do a good job is a stronger motivator than anything a boss can say. When our coworkers are our friends, it suddenly become harder to leave. Often it's our loyalty to our colleagues that keeps us from accepting higher salaries and better titles somewhere else.

Don't freak out

Paris' all-nude restaurant, O'naturel, where diners are dressed less than their salads is all set to shut due to lack of customers.

No matter how often we're told not to "judge a book by its cover," we do. We make judgements about other people based on their appearance, especially first impression of that appearance. We make assumptions about people's personalities, backgrounds and intentions based on height, weight, race, gender, clothing, accessories and hairstyles. It's an instinctive response that can't be turned off. 

Whether we're conscious of it or not, the image we project makes a big difference to our professional life. 

In reality, physical appearance is only one component of our image. No one can capture exactly what executive presence is, but people with executive presence display one observable behaviour -  calm, even-keeled, composed and in control at all times. 

It's easy to be calm in a serene environment but to be calm and serene when under attack is much more difficult. It is said, it's better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war.  

This year I resolve to stop freaking out when I find myself in tough situations. I will work on developing a sense of calm when it comes to managing crises. 

When you freak out, you lose all sense of perspective and logic; your ability to make good decisions almost completely disappears.

Remaining calm is the most effective way to navigate any dangers or problems. So many gifts come along with age. Today , I know I am better equipped to stay calm during the storm of life because I've become more mature and level headed in general.

But I also know it's not about just experience or age. It's about how you approach a situation while driving to work in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Or how we can act responsively rather than reactively when family or colleagues want to argue.

I try to catch early warning signs such as rushing, forcing an issue, and becoming demanding or impatient. When I'm anxious, I huffily insist on talking to people's supervisors if I perceive my needs aren't being met (for example, like being kept interminably on the phone with computer tech support). I hope by identifying these behaviours lets me take charge of them so anxiety doesn't destroy my people skills.

I have made this vow: "I will never have a conversation with someone, send an email or make a decision when gripped by anxiety." No matter what the upset is, I will try not to act until I have gained calm and composure.

I am training myself not to turn life into one big emergency.