Planning for Gold
How far ahead was the planning for the Beijing Olympics?
The Chinese people consider the number ‘8′ to be lucky, so much so that the telephone number 8888-8888 was sold for $270,723 (US) in Chengdu.
The number 8 is held in extremely high esteem and the Chinese will do almost anything to align with it. Now to the main point, did you notice the date and the start time of the Beijing Olympics? The event began on 08/08/08 and the games themselves began at 8 minutes and 8 seconds past 8.00 pm.
This unique collective of 8’s can only happen once in a lifetime and they managed to achieve it - How many years ago was this thought out? It certainly would not have been a coincidence an it would not have been thought about weeks or months ago…it must have been in the frame years and years and years ago, perhaps even decades!
With this meticulous attention to detail, years ahead of its time, the events went to plan with astounding precision to produce one of the most professional Olympic Games.
If only the Motor Industry could take a leaf out of this book and think a little more about the future. It appears to me that we run businesses for today and tomorrow is just another day. We change our strategies mid-week as manufacturers change their bonus payments and incentive schemes to match up with market share. Is it any wonder that many dealerships are fighting for survival on a daily basis?
As the old saying goes, “failing to plan is planning to fail” but how many people take notice of this?
How far ahead is your planning strategy and is your plan worthy of a gold medal?
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