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The Regis Group
MEGA CHECKLIST FOR PLANNING
(PLUS WORKING REALITIES FOR ALL OF US)

In arriving at working solutions and winning steps forward, there three key realities should be remembered at all times.  

REALITIES:
1. IF IT IS NOT IN WRITING IT DOES NOT EXIST - The too often a wide range of critical activities start without written targets, roles or measures. This is NOT a formula for disaster, but it reduces the prospect of complete success.

2. A CALENDAR FOR EVERYTHING - Or what we intend is at risk of ‘rolling’ until the outcome is past due.

3. TWO SETS OF EYES FOR EVERY THING - The ONLY way to build working answers, solid steps, and solutions that are not loaded with incorrect assumptions

MEGA PLANNING CHECKLIST 
In arriving at the first reality there are three key Rules to keep in mind. We avoid these at our own peril.

Rule #1:   THE ONLY CONSTANT IS CHANGE Nothing is EVER Complete.  Stone melts;  stars collapse;  wisdom increases and then it is lost.

Rule #2:   NOTHING HAPPENS BY ITSELF Intention must be connected to outcome by focused action.

Rule #3:   NOBODY KNOWS WHAT YOU KNOW Despite how it feels, the mind is an internal place.  If you don't reach out constantly, then  what you  assume to be a truth IS LOST, and what you assume others to mean is at risk..
 
Yes… these have been repeated TRG themes over the years.
And Yes… the reason is the critical nature of these steps. 
“Knowing” them and even “Believing” in them, is a good step in the right direction, but “Doing” them will make the difference over time.
        APRIL 2014          

Dear Colleague Here's the April Agenda!


“MISSION” AND “VISION” CLARIFICATION
 
The centerpiece of the planning process is clarification of both the “Mission” and the “Vision” of an entity, whether for-profit, non-profit, or governmental.

Often the term ‘development’ is used in association with these two elements, but in many ways neither is being ‘created’, but rather defined with precision to reflect the purpose and intended future of the group.

Each group should be careful to define all key terms at the start of the planning process.  While there are generally accepted definitions for the range of terminologies, there are none that are dictated by law of any kind.

The “Mission” is a concise representation of the reason for the existence of the entity.  The Mission Statement may also distinguish clients, offerings and characteristics that separate the group from competitors.  

For many enterprises elements of the Mission Statement appear at the center of a group’s branding.

The “Vision” is a declaration of intentions, pegged to a designated time in the future and may wrap around a wide array of considerations ranging from territory, to products and services, to growth.

In many ways the Vision can be seen as the central marching orders for the group.  The best Visions are neither esoteric nor overly complex, but define the overall intention of the group to move forward. 

Please let us know your reflection on these concepts and their application in tangible planning steps.
Focus on the Future
Guest Predictions:
Tom Gatewood 
  
Guest Predictions is a regular feature in which we ask leaders in a number of professions a set of questions that affect us all. 
 
Dr. Tom Gatewood, Salvation Armey.

     Dr. Tom Gatewood is a professor emeritus at Virginia Tech, having retired in 2006.  Before coming to VPI&SU in 1980, he was a member of the faculty at Central Michigan University for ten years.  From 1964 to 1970, he was a public school educator in Illinois and an instructor at Indiana University.  He received his B.S. from Illinois State University, M.S. from Southern Illinois University, and Ed.D. from Indiana University.

     Dr. Gatewood was one of the founders and a past president of the National Middle School Association.  He was a leader in the movement to change the face of education for young adolescents in the United States through his conceptualization of “the middle school philosophy” of teaching and learning. He was the first editor of NMSA's MIDDLE SCHOOL JOURNAL.  He served as a consultant to over 300 school systems in most of the states and in several foreign countries in Europe, Asia and South America, as well as Bermuda and the U.S. Virgin Islands.   He authored or co-authored over 50 publications that appeared in several professional journals and books
    
    Since retirement, he has served the Loudoun County Salvation Army as chair of its Advisory Board and Harmony United Methodist Church as chair of its building committee.  He is a past president of the Rotary Club of Purcellville.

    He is married to Barbara Gatewood and lives in Hamilton, Virginia.  They are the proud parents of three children who have blessed them with seven grandchildren.


Questions:
Q:     What do you see as the key emerging uses of the internet for the Salvation Army?
A: The  ability to coordinate the diverse activities of our voluntary advisory board.  This includes common communication with access to an on-line project planner.  Our current program enables us to implement our strategic plan more effectively. This allows us to schedule, follow-up and coordinate our strategic initiatives.
   
Q:    What surprising applications of the internet have you found?
A: The ease with which our scheduling and coordinating program achieves communication results has been a pleasant surprise. The range of emerging creative network uses through our own web-site is nothing short of amazing.  The use of many emerging tools available through our web-site offers exciting possibilities.
  
Q:     What have been the "Best Uses" of the internet for you for your field?
A: The exposure of organizations and associations to each other and to clients / stakeholders was exponentially more effective and powerful than all previous traditional media.  Advertising and outreach through the internet is both more expansive and creative at the same time, reaching a global range or clients and allies.  Distance learning has become a powerful tool of education for all of us.
   
Q:     What should be avoided when dealing with the Internet?
A:   Privacy issues remain one of the primary challenges.  Protecting personal and group information while insuring the strength of communications is a daily challenge.  We have an obligation to work to protect personal information and related data.
  
Q:     Which next steps related to the internet might you recommend?
A: Use of social media to connect partners with each other, resulting in making them aware of their relation to each other and to the Salvation Army mission.  As a result, we will all be able to become more effective in achieving good for a widening range of beneficiaries.
Marc Chinoy
President's Letter
After writing fiction my entire life as a form of escape from the road, I find myself with a wide array of works and a recent on-line move toward Amazon’s Kindle as an outlet (with excellent help from Ryan Marsan, who mounted them there for me).  
These include three novels (Two full-length thrillers and a SciFi novella) plus six sets of ScFi short stories with the common title “Visitation Rites” (Set 1 thru 6).  All are under my full name Marc Paul Chinoy (after a long debate about using a pen name).
Now that they are there, I do not have a clue as to how to market (right word??) them. All the research I have done in this area has run in circles.
Given the range of our friends who read the Agenda, I am hoping that I might be privileged with some advice... (Yes, a dangerous concept... but there it is.)
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Marc
p.s. There are three books I have held back due to the controversy they might stir.... but that is another story.
 

Best Wishes,
Marc Paul Chinoy
BizSpeak!

Winner of the Month:
Anonymous (very much so) negotiator in a complex joint venture.

“Truth be told”
 
Definition:
There is an unheard story about this deal / relationship / persona that may be the opposite of what appear on the surface.
 
Related Terms:
Dog and Pony; Verbal Scramble; Contrary to Popular Opinion
 
How it Sounds:
“Although the water deal seems inevitable, Truth Be Told there are those who believe they can Freeze It Shut Solid.


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The Regis Group, Inc.
102 North King Street | Leesburg, VA 20176 | 703 777-2233 | www.regisgroup.com

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