Who doesn’t love peas? They are full of nutrients that keep our body going! Do you know who doesn’t like a pea? The fabled tale of the princess and the pea.
One of my favourite stories as a child that I would read about a princess who was seeking sanctuary from the rain by knocking on a castle that wasn’t in her realm. Because there was no wifi and cell services, she wasn't able to book an Air BnB or hotel space. What a crazy world that medieval times, right?! Well, the story shares with us that the Queen of the castle didn’t believe she was truly a princess as she had no servants or staff and was filthy due to the inclement weather that she didn’t look like a princess. So, the Queen reluctantly welcomed the young princess into her home. To determine whether the princess was indeed who she said she was, the Queen placed a tiny pea under the princess‘s mattress. Surely, if the princess was indeed a princess, she would not be able to sleep. If she could sleep through the night, chances are she is a commoner.
The next morning arrived and the Queen was in her dining room when the princess arrived. The Queen eyed the princess to see someone who was unkempt and groggy. When asked how the princess slept, she said she was unable to sleep and was tossing and turning because she found the mattress lumpy. Hmm-the Queen thought. Perhaps this individual is a princess after all.
Mother Nature was busy throughout the day causing havoc outside that the Queen acknowledged that the weather was not fit for anyone to leave the safety of the castle. The Queen extended another night's stay for the princess. The princess, while thankful for the opportunity to stay another night asked for another mattress as she said she found the mattress lumpy. The Queen agreed to offer another mattress to be placed on top of the existing mattress. The catch, the pea was placed at the bottom of both mattresses. The Queen knew that, if the traveller was indeed a princess, she would have a similar sleepless night.
The next morning, the Queen was downstairs and greeted the traveller. The princess seemed rather disoriented and unable to focus. The Queen asked if she had difficulty sleeping. The princess acknowledged that, while thankful for the hospitality and the two mattresses, she was unable to sleep and the bed was lumpy. The Queen acknowledged and accepted at that point that a true princess would notice the lump in the bed.
So let's go back to pea problems. These problems can be large and infuriating problems such as a sleepless night that happen because of a small itty bitty pea. To others, a sleepless night could be an itty bitty pea problem. The reality is how do we resolve these problems?
We PLAN.
PLANning helps to prepare for what could happen, what may happen and what will happen. Do you plan? Are you a business owner that has a business plan? Do you review your business plan often? What is the frequency of 'often'?
As a business coach, one of the first questions I ask when I start with my clients is: when was the last time you reviewed your business plan? The scary part is the number of preverbal tales between their legs scenarios I work with where I am told weeks, months, and at one point, the client didn't have a business plan and was 6 months into the business. Sure, their PLAN was working BUT how will you, the business owner, know if you are successful if there is no planning in place? Achieving sales is one thing BUT, understanding who your ideal client is OR what your plans are for growth in the next year are some areas of opportunity.
So- how do you PLAN? Join Drew's Discussion Community where I go through the PLANning process and how to be better equipped with a PLAN of action that WILL answer these questions of the frequency of business review to determining long-term organizational planning.
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