Part 3 of A Manager's Annual Plan is about having the right people, and other resources, needed to do the tasks you laid out for yourself in Part 2.

Next week we will look at Part 4 of the Plan, the most important part, the role of the manager as leader.

Part 2 of A Manager's Annual Plan covers how to reach the goals you set in Part 1. It outlines how to take the company's mission statement and translate it into specific actions for your group.

Part 3, tomorrow, asks (and helps you answer) the question 'Do I have the right people to reach those goals?'

Part 1 of A Manager's Annual Plan is about goals and planning. It covers why you need to plan, setting goals, and expressing those goals in a mission statement.

Tomorrow, in Part 2 of the series, we will look at how to go about reaching those goals.

Over the holiday I give a lot of thought to what topics to start the year with. I review your feedback and questions. (Your comments and questions are always welcome on the Management Forum bulletin board.) Based on that, I have prepared A Manager's Annual Plan. It is a four-part, chronological series on how to analyze and improve your organization and it starts this week.

The topics include:

• Does the organization have goals?
• What are they?
• Are they reachable?
• What do I need to reach them?
• Have I got the right people and other resources?
• How do I get them?
• How do I communicate the mission?
• How can I be a better leader?
• What if they don't follow?

Look for Part One tomorrow.