It’s prime vacation planning season here in the Northern Hemisphere.
Beware: if you don’t know where you’re going, any itinerary will do. This is a distortion of a famous quote, but it translates nicely.
You’ll need a plan! Consider “Go from New York to Paris by going west.” Will this make sense to the travel agent, or anyone else for that matter? At first, not really. But there are scenarios where this is the only way to go.
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) is west of Manhattan, after all. Or maybe pent-up travel energy explodes to a world tour – wine country in California, then the beach in Thailand, and finally some romance in Paris before returning back to NY. New York to Paris by going west is indeed a sensible plan!
There are so many choices – strategies, if you will – for piecing together a memorable and rejuvenating vacation. The travel team can explore multiple itineraries but one cannot be finalized before there is a “vision decision.” Where are we going? What are the must-dos? What are the constraints?
The kids will need passports to leave the country and routine processing is 8 to 11 weeks. Better get to work now or you won’t be going far. Being too cavalier may turn out worse than the Griswold’s road trip to Walley World.
This vacation scenario translates to setting a vision for the company too. The team needs similar inputs as a travel agent – a specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound vision of where you’re going. Only then can a clear and relevant tactical action plan (i.e.: an itinerary) be put in place. Otherwise, the company may go nowhere. And the status quo is no staycation.
Need an agent for alignment?