Playbook

Do plans need to be in writing? Yes, but in a form that serves its purpose. That is not as a bound volume that resides on a bookshelf never to be referenced once the creators have “finished” their planning task. It is a communication vehicle—best conveyed in words, phrases, short paragraphs, charts, key performance indicators, and pictures. It should be in a form easily changed and updated. It should not be burdened with the niceties of a literary quality. Its purpose is to have every member of the team guided by the same “playbook.”

In this age of advanced communications and technology, the playbook should be maintained as an integral part of the enterprise’s internal systems. Those internal systems should serve as the enterprise’s command and control center. Their purpose is to empower members of the team by giving them the clarity needed for the confidence to make decisions and take action on the frontline. Management is about achieving objectives through others. It follows that maintaining and refining the “playbook” is job one for the leader. In today’s world, the “playbook” isn’t one thing—it is the leader’s blog, the organization’s intranet site, it is periodic video conferences or planning retreats, it is the business’s key performance indicators, its bonus, commission, and reward plans. Wherever possible, words are better than phrases, phrases are better than sentences, sentences are better than paragraphs, and paragraphs are better than pages. That is because the excellence company communicates so frequently and so clearly, that words and phrases become triggers conveying much more extensive content. The use of words and phrases makes the job of constantly communicating, refining, and changing the dynamic plan easier.

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