Some may be thinking, growth, any growth, growth at all cost, is always a sign of progress, but the truth is, sometimes, growth is not an adequate gauge of success.
Growth is necessary to survive, however, growth alone, is not enough for you to thrive in your business or personal life. If you experience unmanaged growth or unanticipated growth in business, instead of flourishing, you increase the probability of becoming extinct. If it happens in your personal life it could be just as injurious. So, let’s examine why you need more than growth in your business and personal life to reach your goals.
While I will briefly discuss growth as it relates to business, my focus will be directed more towards growth in your personal life. But first, let’s look at business.
GROWTH ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH
When a business experiences unanticipated growth because of increased demand, it could cause them to start producing inferior products and subpar merchandise. Which in turn, could cause a large sum of their customers to become disappointed and disillusioned. It has been shown that actions leading to upset and frustrated customers, can prove to be fatal. In many instances, it has led to closure of previously, blossoming businesses.
And, even with a plan to address unexpected growth, you still need to prepare to mitigate instances of unmanaged growth, since one will most likely impact the other.
If it’s true that unmanaged and unpredictable growth in business can prove to be hazardous, let’s determine what to avoid and discuss a few remedies. To ensure that growth does not become an issue, you need a strategic plan. As you have probably heard many times, a strategic plan is absolutely necessary for a business to enjoy sustained success. Systematically working your plan will ensure you are prepared to reduce the probability of rapid unanticipated and unmanageable growth. Having a strategic plan for your business helps to avoid the following:
- Unanticipated cashflow problems
- Probability of you underestimating when or if your business will outgrow its office or venue space
- Low staff morale due to uncertainty and precipitous changes
- Procedures, practices, and operational systems from becoming overwhelmed and exasperated
These are only a few, of many concerns and side effects of growth without a plan. While it’s wise to evaluate your needs from the perspective of what to avoid, it is just as important to understand the value of having a plan. What about the benefits? They include the following:
- Creates a proactive instead of reactive environment, minimizing risks
- Builds alignment between timelines and responsibilities
- Positions a business to objectively determine resource allocations
- Increases operational efficiency
- Improves sustainability to ensure longevity
WHAT’S NEEDED BEYOND GROWTH
Even if you don’t own a business, there are substantial benefits to learning how unmanaged and unpredictable growth in your personal life, has probably obstructed your ability to achieve your goals.
Most of us, have had times when we’ve encountered a growth opportunity and moved forward without thoughtful examination or a sufficient plan. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, but continuing to be repetitive in this behavior, is just insane. While most will agree, having a plan is a good thing, you still may be wondering about the practical benefits of having a personal life plan. Is it worth your time and effort? Is this just another futile attempt to manage something that has proven to be unmanageable in the past – your personal life? Well, I will start by saying that it will prepare you to be better equipped under pressure, allowing you to operate with a pre-emptive mindset rather than reactive. If your personal life plan accomplished only this, it would be worthwhile. But the value is much more.
“We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. We are made up of layers, cells, constellations.”
― Anais Nin
Although, not everyone gives the same due diligence to their personal growth as to their business or career, I believe a calculated plan is just as critical for your personal life. It will help you to become clearer about what is truly important, so your energy is targeted and purposeful. By creating a personal life plan, you will not only be mapping a course for what you want, you will also design how you plan to get there. It positions you to be more intentional about your goals, laser focused concerning your actions and transparent regarding your commitment. As a personal guide and compass, your plan will be particularly useful in thwarting unpredictable growth cycles in your life. Some of the benefits include, helping you to:
- Define what success means to you
- Identify and outline your core values
- Become more tactical about your objectives
- Develop steps needed to accomplish your goals
- Provide measuring tools to review and assess your outcomes
Once you develop your plan, you must be resolute about your commitment and uncompromising in your dedication to follow-through. Since there are amazing free resources available to assist you with developing your personal life plan, I’ve chosen not to include them as part of this discussion. However, I encourage you to invest the time needed and take advantage of the wealth of credible information that is available, just a click away.
Now, let’s discuss some of the unintended consequences if we neglect to have a plan. When individuals experience unanticipated growth, as we’ve discussed previously, it can have an adverse effect. We have all read about lottery winners, rag-to-riches-to-rags stories. You have probably experienced or know someone who received an unexpected promotion and started spending recklessly. Or we’ve seen what happens when someone comes into a sudden cash influx and spent it unwisely. While it may not be as catastrophic as losing a business or going broke, unexpected growth in your personal live can leave you anxious, stressed-out, and frustrated. And in some instances, it can prove to be just as devastating. So, growth without a plan for what to do with or concerning that growth, is not a model we want to emulate. Let’s consider a few consequences of thoughtless growth and neglecting to have a plan. It could result in:
- Ignoring your health and well-being
- Displacing your family commitments and obligations
- Delaying establishing a much-needed finance and money management plan
- Discounting or postponing investment in your personal development
- Becoming lethargic about your spiritual progress
- Allowing your social life to outpace your intellectual growth and engagement
As we are aware, knowing what to do and when to do it, is only part of what’s needed. Decidedly saying no to activities that force unmanageable growth, will become a part of your new mantra, only if you have a strategy. Therefore, with this new purposeful way of thinking, not anticipating or not having a well-thought-out blueprint for your personal growth, will be a thing of the past. In your personal life, as in business, it’s prudent to be one step ahead, by being pro-active about the key areas in your life. This means having a growth plan for success as a core component verses a postscript.
By now we know, growth as an isolated, singular purpose, whether in your business, career, or personal life, is never sufficient. Your personal life plan must be developed with built-in elasticity, allowing for constant growth and reassessment. To experience continued levels of success, you need tools to enhance your ability to identify and balance the areas of your life that you deem most important. The best way to do this, is to clarify what you are currently spending your time on to determine whether these areas are deserving of your precious attention. Pause and ask yourself – should I reevaluate the amount of time I am giving to this activity? With so many things to consider, a means to assess each area is essential. Whether it’s family, friends, work, business, personal passions or interests, health, wellness and fitness, the list can seem endless.
Your plan will assist you in identifying areas that are sometimes overlooked. At times, we may not place the appropriate value on certain areas in our lives that have meaning because we are unaware of the benefits they are delivering. You can’t measure, benchmark, or evaluate things you don’t see. It’s like being blind to important items in your peripheral view. In this instance, ignorance is not bliss. By underestimating these areas, we inadvertently make no provisions to include key aspects in our growth plan. This unmindful way of thinking and living our lives is prohibiting our progress.
Let’s consider a few areas you may be overlooking. Is participating in community projects and events important to you? What part does adventure and travel have in your life? Is religion or spirituality included? What about recreation, sports, arts and cultural events, or social engagements? Are you interested in participating in service projects, volunteerism, or charity events? If these things are important, they should not be added as afterthoughts or just tacked on when you remember them. It is critical that your personal life plan identify the essential areas that should be included, or it is doomed to fail. It is not an overstatement to assert that there is no way to sufficiently prepare for growth in any area of life, if you have not adequately determined and sufficiently prioritized if, where, when and how these areas should be included.
Finally, there is no satisfaction in aimlessly wandering through life without a specific map for growth. If you want to continue your personal improvement, acquiring skills, and exceeding your targets, you must have an outline to guide your behavior, direct your actions and manage growth. I challenge you to start today developing your personal growth plan to achieve your goals, enhance your skills, and master habits that need development for you to succeed.
