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We're all too old and far too sophisticated to believe in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy. But we do believe in the Planning Fairy.

Of course, in your rational mind you know the Planning Fairy isn't real. But what about your behavior? What about what Chris Argyris called "The Theory in Use?"

With homage to Jeff Foxworthy, I offer the following five ways to tell if you really believe in the Planning Fairy.

You may believe in the Planning Fairy if you believe that planning should take as long as necessary to get all the facts. In reality, you never get all the facts.

You may believe in the Planning Fairy if you believe that great planning starts with facts. In reality, all planning starts with opinions.

You may believe in the Planning Fairy if you believe that plans should always aim for the best possible solution. In reality, the best possible solution you can achieve usually makes more sense.

You may believe in the Planning Fairy if you believe that it's possible to create a perfect plan that works right out of the chute. In reality, all plans are imperfect and need adjustment when they slam into real people in the real world.

You certainly believe in the Planning Fairy if you believe that once the planning is done, you brief the operations people, then dust off your hands and go home. In reality, planning and implementation are two parts of the same thing.

Boss's Bottom Line

Planning is a very human, bias-riddled, and error-strewn process. You will usually do best if you move toward action quickly, measure results against expectations, and keep adjusting.

Wally's Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training. Click here to check it out.