“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.” Sun Tzu, 6th Century BC, “The Art of War”
Victory is achieved with a strategy of planning, and defeat from a strategy of not planni
ng. While both are a conscious strategy, only the strategy of planning is consistent with success. Successful companies and their products are a byproduct of successful planning. While innovation is crucial to sustained growth in business, planning is equally important as it often brings that innovation to market. An innovative idea without a plan to execute that idea will remain a conceptual idea. Having a strategy and executing that strategy is what makes it tangible.
The planning of production, distribution, marketing and sales all contributes to the strategy of success for a product. While success can be measured in many ways, the true taste of success comes from achieving or even superseding your goals and objectives. But even achieving small victories can be a measure of success. Planning milestones that contribute to the larger goal is often a prudent strategy. Achieving those milestones gives a perspective of measure and accomplishment.
Though you may not initially achieve the goal that you anticipated, achieving small milestones and knowing which ones fell short, provides the necessary information to make adjustments. While planning is critical to success, making adjustments to the plan is also an important aspect to the strategy of successful planning.
By Frank Arteaga, Head of Product Marketing, NAFTA Region
Bystronic Inc., Elgin, IL – Voice.bystronic@bystronic.com