By Timothy A. Edward
Last week, one of my new acquaintances called me on my mobile and described himself as someone who gets things done. We all have an expiry date, and we need to get things done before that eventful day. If we want the things that we do to last even after we are gone, then we need to plan towards that goal.
For example, if we want our nation to become prosperous, then we need to plan our role or part in this journey towards that goal of prosperity. First, we should envision our desired outcome. Second, take stock of available resources. Then, come up with a to-do list and prioritise and be prepared for contingencies. Finally, plan and put that plan into action. If we all do our little parts of the whole vision and get things done in this journey of making our nation prosperous, then surely, within a short span of time, we can together transform our nation.
Desired Outcomes
First, we need to picture the desired outcome. For example, a prosperous nation where citizens are happily able to contribute towards the economic development of the country. A country where every child is protected and empowered to follow their dreams for themselves and for their lives.
Available Resources
Second, evaluate the available resources. Look at Sri Lanka. For us to become a prosperous nation, what are the resources that we have freely? For example, we have water, solar, wind and other sources of power which we can harness, add value and use them to meet our domestic requirements as well as export to other countries. We have in season tropical fruits and vegetables that we harvest in plenty, the excess of which can be processed and exported the world over. We have experience and knowledge of the tea, rubber and coconut industries and how to make them world renowned. This knowledge and know-how can be utilised to identify and develop new economic growth avenues for Sri Lanka.
Prioritise
Then, we have to prioritise our activities. Many times these priorities might not be interesting or engaging and can even take long hours. But, procrastination is not the solution. It is absolutely crucial we attend to the priorities first. If the priority cannot be attended to right away or if it is too large a task, then break it into smaller units of activities. In an organisational context, priorities have direct connections with operations. Establish priorities in conjunction with your management. It is all about aligning our time and energy with organisational expectations.
Think for a while. During the colonial times, tea, rubber and coconut were prioritised, and we were a debt-free country. But, now considering our situation, we have to prioritise reviving some of our corporations and factories that were closed down. Presently, we are paying huge sums of dollars to import these necessities. But, once we had the capacity to produce these in-country and somewhere down the years, we lost that capacity due to some policies that we now realize were not fully feasible. We can learn from our past as it is never too late to revive these local industries once again, and slowly but surely increase local production of such essential commodities and reduce the importation of those products gradually until we reach a comfortable stage of self-sufficiency.
Contingencies
In the meantime, we also need to have contingency plans. Our plans are bound to hit hiccups and unforeseen challenges. Therefore, risk assessment should be high on our list of priorities. Look at your to-do list closely and identify two or three major areas that could run into trouble. Develop fallback strategies to overcome such scenarios. Allocate some emergency time to overcome such challenges in your primary plan.
Think for a moment. The world of ours is fast changing, and we can expect some big changes in the very near future. We need to prepare for these contingencies and self-sufficiency in key areas like food and life essentials is a must, if we are to face the future as an island nation.
Time to Plan
So to achieve all these, we need to come up with a strong country strategic plan. For instance, we ought to plan our national policies and stick to them, not keep on changing with the appointment of every other new government. There should be a higher degree of consistency in terms of our foreign policies and countries with whom we collaborate and form closer partnerships. Value the time that goes into such planning, because planning pays back in real big-time. Planning will help us to identify the most important things up-front and also to foresee ‘what if’ issues.
Take, for instance, Nuwara Eliya district, which is a district overflowing with human and natural resources. As a nation, we can plan and prioritise this district for development interventions and transform it as one of the richest districts in Sri Lanka and make it a model district of sustainable development interventions towards nation building and prosperity.
What works for a country will work for companies and individuals. All this shows, we need leaders in every area of life, who can get things done, be it a family, company or country. Are we in trouble because we lack leaders who can get things done?
I still remember the day of August 1947 floods, as it was the last school day at Kingswood College Kandy and the height the water soured. Water rose to the height of the Cross of the Chrurch at Getambe and the water was so high that it engulfed the Getambe Rajaponawarma Temple leaving only a few leaves of the Bo-tree visible.
The Colombo Additional Magistrate has ordered the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to investigate and submit a report over a complaint about the alleged illegal assets gained by model Piumi Hansamali.
Leave Comments