After a discussion about strategic planning I had someone tell me “Our purpose is not about plans or execution of plans. That is simply busy work.” That did not mean that this person was not interested in planning, it was just not their focus. The problem is that without the focus you lose the passion for the vision. Your focus is quickly drawn to everyday problems and in a short time you are off the path. You have to step back and look at the bigger picture. You can’t put all your focus on the planning and you can’t put all your focus on the problem of the day. You need a balance. To have a passion for the plan does not mean that you do not look at daily opportunities. You need a passion for the big picture – a passion to develop the plan and to implement the plan. If you think any aspect of the process is “busy work” you will lose the passion. The power you receive by having passion for your vision and a focused intention will produce spectacular results.
Strategic planning develops a focus for your vision and a clear path to realize it. The awareness you have when you are certain of your vision will show you the path to success. Everything you do will brighten that picture of success. All your energy will be focused on the plan you have developed.
Busy work is a term for work or assignments that are felt to be time consuming, but not useful. Busy work is work which will keep someone occupied without being constructive or productive. I would say that busy work is any work that does not contribute in some way to the strategic plan. This usually happens when a person does not understand the plan (poor leadership) or they just do not buy into the plan. If you have no passion for the plan then just about any work associated with that plan will be thought of as busy work. When you hear someone say something like – this is all busy work, you have a disconnect.
