How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Tackling the vision in your organization needs the same approach to succeed.
Knowing the direction you're taking your organization is a critical component to success. Planning and executing on this vision are equally critical components.
Why Quarterly?
It is human nature to loose focus every ~90 days. We are all guilty at one point or another of setting our minds on working towards a goal (whether written down or not) then not following through with it. I like to refer to this as the SQUIRREL effect. This is why it's so important that you take the time to step back and work ON your organization every quarter.
Does this need to be a 10 hour off-site retreat that puts a dent in your budget? No. Does it need to take place every quarter and get your organization on the same page with where you've been and where you're going? YES!
Make Best Use of Your Time
Commit to getting in the room with your leadership team this quarter and spend your time on these topics for effective quarterly planning.
1. Review & Learn
To know where you're going, it's important to know where you've been. Take the time to review your goals and numbers from the past quarter. THEN discuss what's been working and what's not working.
2. Refocus
Taking the time to align on your strategic plan will not only help keep everyone on the same page with the direction you're heading but will also provide the opportunity to see if adjustments are needed. Setting it and forgetting it is not an option if you want your vision to become reality.
3. Improvements
Continuing to refine your skillset and learn new ones will help you grow and get more of what you want. Be sure you're reviewing what's not working and adjusting accordingly by spending the time to make improvements to your organization.
4. Quarterly Goals
Having an open dialogue where everyone at the table brings forward their most pressing topics that they believe should be a quarterly goal for the organization. These should be centered around the annual goals and must have ONE owner and need to be written SMART. After they've all been put on the table, you must prioritize and get this list down to 3-5 goals to focus on throughout the next quarter - less is more.
Now, Go Do It!
Talking about what needs to get done is one thing, but executing on it is another. Make this be the quarter that you get in the room with your leaders and hold a quarterly planning meeting. Not sure where to start? Contact me, I'd be happy to share more best practices and how I could help.