Arrogant companies see planning as missed opportunities for generating more dollars by doing more of the same as they are doing now. This track soon runs out. Planning is not a waste of time. It is about using your time to prepare for new opportunities. Doesn’t it make more sense to be in control of your company’s future than to leave it to fate? Wouldn’t it be wise to think through what you want to accomplish long term rather than live from day to day? Arrogant companies are easy to spot from my vantage point as a consultant. Most frequently these are family-held businesses, entrepreneurial ventures, or old-line staid corporations. Don’t try to tell such companies that they need to do planning. You have to wait until they start to hurt. They must hit the flat spot on the growth line before you can get their attention.
That attitude was indicative of a group that failed and was disbanded within six months. They had no business plan. I suspect there was a connection. The following techniques for dealing with an arrogant attitude are simple but radical:
- Wait until they fail to get attention. Unfortunately, this is not a healthy course of action, but sometimes it is the only way.
- Focus on the idea of creating greater success than the present. This often hooks high-performing organizations that think they are creating the optimum results. Ask two questions of the management of this type company:
1. How much more money could you have made if you had been better organized?
2. How much money did you leave on the table by the way you now operate?
These are killer questions that usually lead an arrogant company to planning.