Baking a Business Cake

   Before baking a cake, correct ingredients must be gathered in a well-equipped kitchen. Note: an oven’s inaccurate temperature gauge will undercook or burn the cake’s edges. Compare this with market data that is slanted to reflect a “hoped for” conclusion. Both examples will negatively affect the outcome, despite following all the remaining steps perfectly!

   Even measuring and mixing ingredients offers pitfalls. The sugar and butter must be combined, then added to the dry mix. Beat the ingredients too long and the cake becomes flat. Substitute wrong ingredients and the flavor can be ruined. (I vividly remember my daughter Linda, making a batch of blueberry muffins. Substituting baking soda for baking powder resulted in the bitter flavor of soap.)

  Basic to a Strategic Plan, beyond researching the market, is gathering data from former and current customers, as well as employees. They have valuable insight that needs to be carefully tapped. Employees are in a position to assist or foil implementation.      (Remember – some employees may be hostile. They may have provided suggestions before that were discarded off-hand.)

   Next step is to add frosting. Ingredients must be carefully measured and mixed. Cakes need to be removed from the pans at the precise time to avoid crumbling. (It would be ridiculous to frost first!) Likewise, Strategic Plans need to identify a few (3+) objectives.  Each objective must have step-by-step strategies including cost, completion date and a person responsible. Requisite: "The Plan” must be supported by a top manager.

   So - it’s time to eat the cake and implement "The Plan? Right? No! The frosting needs to “set up” or it will be runny; the table needs to be set; and those who wish to enjoy the cake must sit at the table. Likewise, The Plan with instructions must be copied, distributed to all participants and a meeting held to emphasize both current work AND assignments in The Plan get done.    

   After I created a Strategic Plan for the weakest of 5 divisions at Electro-Voice, a $60M audio manufacturer, President Bob Pabst attended the 1^st follow-up meeting. Anyone not meeting the timetables received his wrath! Although rarely attending weekly any other follow-up meetings, he had set the tone - no schedule variation would be tolerated! Result? We achieved the highest growth over the next 3 years, even allowing purchase of its main competitor, while we were the only division with a Plan.

   The cake? It is 4 layers; each covered with raspberry jam, and filled with chocolate mousse with fresh raspberries. Next it’s topped with 3 types of chocolate frosting including a gnache and chocolate butter-cream frosting. Finally, it’s topped with fresh whole raspberries. The flavor is incredible! Ladies marvel and men say . . . “It’s a heart attack on a plate!” The result from your plan should be just as amazing.