It’s the beginning of December and the time when all of my notes regarding ideas for 2020 have to be brought together in some semblance of order to create the document that will be titled ‘SOLAR SOLVE LTD – DECADE 5 – YEAR 5 – PLAN FOR 2020’
There has been a lot going on in the world this year and also here at Solar Solve. We cannot control the world situation politically, economically, or in any other way. That is why we have to be A KINETIC ENTERPRISE – SELF-ADAPTING, SELF-RENEWING, INSTANT-ACTION ORGANISATION.
Indeed all successful businesses have to be the same, with the same philosophies, procedures, skills and determination. Then draw up plans to run the business or organisation within the constraints that are in effect at the time, whatever and wherever they may be.
As the circumstances change, then the plans and procedures have to be varied to accommodate the changes if we want to survive, prosper and perhaps grow.
I doubt if many organisations of any size draw up a 1 – 2 – 3 year plan for the future that runs its full course exactly as it is set out and without some variations to the original. Only the naïve would expect them to.
Nevertheless, we still produce them because they do have a vital role to play in the running and operation of any operation, especially the most successful ones.
In my case here at Solar Solve, back in 2015 when the family business was 40 years old, I produced a 10-year plan to take it up to its half-century, covering 2016 – 2025. Having always produced plans in all of my jobs, I knew the outcome of the plan would not be exactly as envisaged by time 2025 was reached.
Currently we are coming to the end of Year 4, having revised the master DECADE 5 plan annually, to keep up with reality. We are less than half way through and the world situation has not altered significantly, nor has the national situation, in spite of the Brexit distractions. We are pretty much on course because we have stuck to the main objectives as much as possible, some of which have been more successful than anticipated and have resulted in higher sales than expected.
This situation presents me with some great opportunities when updating, revising and producing the new plan for DECADE 5 – YEAR 5 – 2020.
I could change the plan significantly to take advantage of the unexpected higher sales over the last 2 years and raise our objectives and outlook for the future, possibly even including proposals for expansion, which may not be in the current plan.
Or I could take the easy option and propose to the Solar Solve Board that as there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding the global economy, etc., we should just stick to the plan more-or-less as it is.
Or I could suggest a bit of both the above options. After all, they will just be proposals, they do not have to be put into effect.
I am excited about the challenge but always wary of the fact that my proposals will be based on circumstances and conditions that I have absolutely no control over.
JHL MBE SSL Co. Chairman
