The first month of Q4 is nearly behind us and the holidays will soon follow. How can you maximize the productive time you have remaining?
That’s the challenge we posed to our Predictable Success team members. Each approached it from a different angle, and together, they’ve assembled a powerful punch list. We hope you will find it helpful, and be sure to share your suggestions in the comments below!
Connect
Carissa says, “Make the most of all the holidays coming up. Initiate personal contacts with prospective clients, donors, senior management team members and more.
Use Q4 to build some relational equity that might come across as forced or awkward any other time of year.”
Resolve
Alex asks, “What is the single item that you’ve let drag on for too long this year? What have you been putting off either because it’s difficult to figure out or painful to address (for you, someone else, or both)?
Now remember that you’re in the role you’re in not to do what’s easy for your benefit, but to do what’s hard for the benefit of the organization!
Commit to resolving this single issue by the end of Q4, so you can end one year and begin the next having made your organization a little better. As a side benefit, you’ll also feel better when it’s done.”
Refocus
Scott suggests, “Take a few minutes to pull out the strategic plan you put in place twelve months ago, and look at what worked and what did not meet expectations.
Take the item that had the highest potential but did not live up to it. Find a way to slim down that effort to 50% of its current resources to improve focus. Apply the newly available resources to the best performing item.
You will likely find the root cause of why the underperforming item didn’t work and gain more traction on your winner – a win-win.”
Realign
Dave says, “Look back at your strategic plan for the year. How many ideas have been left un-implemented?
If it’s more than 1/3, you’re likely suffering from a lack of the Operator/Processor mindset in your senior leadership team.
This missing component is the single most common reason for an organization’s inability to deliver. You need to re-dress this by:
1. Elevating more strong O’s and P’s to your senior team and
2. Encouraging those O’s and P’s in your group to wear their O or P hat. You need them to.”
Build Accountability
Les suggests, “Take out your calendar and book in two ‘personal strategic retreats’ next year – April and October are good times to schedule them.
Give yourself at least two days each time to get away somewhere with few distractions and write an agenda that holds you accountable to reviewing how next year’s strategic plan is going. Otherwise it just won’t happen!”
Get the specific strategies you need to execute effectively!
Additional Resource:
– If you enjoyed this article, be sure to check out these strategic planning tips!