Did you know that developing a business strategy, and executing it well, creates a 30% greater chance for growth? That’s pretty significant.
There is one quarter left in this year. That’ll be 65 standard working days – minus all of the holiday time.
This is one of my favorite quarters of the year.
- Autumn colors and that cool crispness in the mornings
- Pumpkins and fall-flavored lattes
- Holiday events and extra family time
- The hero in me comes out ten-fold in the final stretch toward my business goals **cue trumpets and wind for my cape**
- And I start to get excited thinking about what’s to come next year
That’s a lot of fun stuff! And from what I know, for most people in leadership their priorities become torn. More than any other time of the year, their attention and need to be in two places at once is increased.
- Not only are leaders trying to keep their attention on finishing the year strong (meeting deadlines and hitting revenue goals), but they are also in discussions of how to set up the next year to be even better.
- They are trying to be present with their family and friends during the season of holidays, and they are also trying to keep their focus and commitment in their workplace.
- They are trying to keep their teams present and motivated to push toward the finish line, and trying to support them in finding their own balance of work and holiday play.
These are often unspoken struggles in a company around this time. Elephants in their boardroom, if you will (I can’t help myself). We know motivations wane, people would rather be doing anything but work, and yet pressures are high to finish the year strong. Mitigate these issues (elephants) by having a Strategy already set for next year and allow leaders to find a balance while they are still in Q4. They can remain successful at work, be present at home, and be set up to hit the ground running when the new year arrives. Already knowing what the plans are for next year takes a huge mental load off because there are no question marks ruminating in the back of your mind, while you stir your hot cocoa with a candy cane.
A business strategy creates a
30% greater chance of growth
I have heard “Let’s just wait until the new year” and “Things will be better after we get past the Q4 hustle…” As though there is some magical light switch attached to the global calendar. Pooft! Tadaa!
My questions are:
- Does your organization really want to carry everything over?
- Will you be seeing the same show, just a different year?
- Do you want to have everyone’s attention torn in Q4?
Feel at ease and enjoy the holidays. Be present in the season confidently knowing that the organization has a Strategy that will set everyone up to kick a$$ next year.
Scheduling an Annual Strategy Session now is the right move to plan ahead. And even better, working with an expert facilitator and strategist during your session creates a space for stakeholders and leadership to come together and just think and focus. As a strategy facilitator I am the person who will ask the right questions, guide the thought process, point out the holes, show you where the elephants exist in your boardroom, help you mitigate risk and create agility for whatever may come… and capture all of the ideas.
If you are a growth driven organization then you need to know where you want to go, how you will get there from where you stand, and how to shape high-performing teams to help you arrive successfully.
[[Now, executing that plan… that’s a whole other subject. 61% of leaders acknowledge that their organizations often struggle to bridge the gap between strategy formulation and its day-to-day implementation. That’s definitely an elephant in the boardroom. We’ll get to that one next time.]]
