ADOPTING POLC CYCLE IN YOUR LIFE

Planning, Organizing, Leading and Controlling. This is a POLC cycle that we study in our management books. But most of the people normally assume that POLC is of no importance in practical life. Normally people believe that POLC steps are not taken into consideration when decisions are made in organization. But this assumption is needed to be smashed because without adopting POLC you cannot even spend your own life in a well organized and steady manner. The article is not about how to apply POLC in a business but this will tell you how you can use POLC in your daily life.

To me POLC is a key to success because successful minds always plan things out before they implement their ideas. The CEO of Coke Cola Company says that whenever he has to buy a company he writes it down that why he needed to make a buying decision. He says that if you successfully write a reason, it means your vision is clear about what you have decided to do.

So now let’s discuss all four phases of POLC:

Planning:

Jotting the idea down is basically planning. So whenever you decide to do something in life, whether it’s a matter of your personal life or a business decision making, always write what you’re going to do? When you write your plan down, the next step is to think about its possible outcomes. Write all positive and negative consequences. This may also be referred as “What if” analysis.

It is a misconception of people that What if analysis is a habit of risk averse people and after what if analysis usually the idea what has been planned simply end up going in a waste bin. But I do not believe in this. The purpose of what if analysis is to give weightage to the positive and negative aspects of your idea. If your idea has more weightage of positive points, go for it. And if not, it doesn't mean you shouldn't go for it!

If the idea has more weightage of the negative over positive points, it simply means your idea is raw and you need more clarity in it. The best way to clear your stance and make it likely to be supported by more positive weightage is by doing research. Polish your idea and nurture it to the level at which you are able to give it more positive points. At this stage your first phase comes to an end i.e. Planning.

Organizing:

Now the next phase is organizing. One cannot peruse the plans unless one organizes them. Moreover, one cannot take a lead unless one has not built milestones. There are two good ways of organizing your plans. One way is that you just write your aims and objectives down and start following them one by one by defining a final deadline. The other way and this is more helpful is that you set your goals step by step and then prescribe a time limit to each goal. This is I call a master milestone.

 In master milestone you will take a big chart paper, hang it inside your cupboard or paste it at the back of your door and write all the objects. The next step will be to write the beginning date and then when you accomplish the target, put an ending date to the objective. Trust me this works a lot and help you in organizing your plans. One thing is for sure everyone has multiple major plans going on in life. So organize all of them by dividing the chart into segments.

Leading:

Now the next phase is leading. Basically leading comes from self-motivation. The process of leading totally depends upon how you keep yourself energized towards a thing. Normally the issues that hinder leading a plan are, lack of self motivation, fright of what others will say, laziness in updating your schedules or being too lethargic to see your objective milestone every time. Some people panic too when they have to achieve something. But self motivation is something that can help you in getting rid of all such problems.

Don’t feel bad in attempting anything for the first time and always try to be initiator. This is the first rule of leadership. Sometimes it is good to freak out. Bringing yourself out is not bad. But remember! Bringing it out in front of wrong people is even worst. So chose a right friend, pear or family member before you freak put your anxieties and dogmas of life. Sometimes secret practices may also help you in achieving what you are up to. So once you organize your plans, lead them by self-determination and full energy. Don’t think about failure. You have already planned your task. And even if failure comes, never stop. Keep on trying. One day you will lead.

Controlling:

The last phase is controlling. The question here is controlling what? And the answer is simple, controlling your targets by preparing for uncertain scenarios. Controlling also involves meeting deadlines on time, so that you do not have to hassle at the end. So keep a check on whatever you are doing and keep a sharp eye on your progress.

By adopting POLC cycle in your normal practice will help you to make sound and sane decisions. It is one way to get a smooth journey on the road to success.