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YOUR FOCUS IN QUARTER 3

As we enter Quarter 3 of 2022, it is time to reflect on how far you have gotten on your goals over the last six months, what has worked well, what has not, and what you will keep, start and stop doing. Make the next quarter matter. Continuous execution of small daily changes leads to tremendous results.

NARROW YOUR FOCUS IN Q3

As a business consultant, strategist, and executive coach, I work with successful companies and leaders who share a common practice of conducting quarterly reviews and previews.

By starting each quarter with an initial review, you are taking the time to set a benchmark and do a post-mortem on the past three months’ activity and results.

Analyze wins, identify ongoing challenges, and reflect on lessons learned. Evaluate what you will continue to focus on, what you will stop doing and new initiatives and priorities that need to be implemented.

After the review, you then move on to a preview of what is upcoming in the following 90-day period and identify priorities. These 90-day/quarter priorities ensure alignment and provide a transparent and clear focus.

 

‘You will either look back in life and say I wish I had, or I’m glad I did.’
– Zig Ziglar

 

QUARTERLY REVIEW PROCESS

  1. REVIEW your cash flow and identify your top five activities that provide you profit.
  2. ANALYSE your Key Performance Indicator (KPI) results, shortfalls and gaps. This activity will assist in the identification of areas that require your attention. Your KPIs drive your triple-bottom-line results and can often simply be viewed in terms of profit margin per:
    a.   employee
    b.   customer or client, and
    c.   production or delivery.
  3. IDENTIFY your core areas that can be improved upon to increase operational efficiencies. Quarterly process optimization goals are an excellent way to look at this with your team. Creating core processes saves time and provides standard operating procedures, combined with checklists that can reduce errors and increase efficiencies.
  4. REVIEW your long-term strategic initiatives and identify at least one that you can focus on in Q3 that aligns with your vision, will bring value to your team and stakeholders, and will add value to your customers and clients.

WHAT IS ONE THING YOU CAN DELEGATE THIS QUARTER?

Have you recently thought/said,

‘I don’t have enough time,’
‘There is too much to do,’
‘I never have enough time to focus on what is essential?’

If so, it’s time to evaluate how you spend your time and on what.

STEP 1.   List at least 20 things you do in your job or on a day-to-day basis, the more detail you have in your list, the better.

STEP 2.   Draw up a quadrant and in each box, write the topics you see on the image below.

Jenny Reilly Consulting | How To Delegate

STEP 3.   Of all the items you listed in Step 1, please put each one into the most relevant quadrant. Tally how many you have in each quadrant.

STEP 4.   Your objective should be to have most items in the top left quadrant. Everyone is more effective and productive when they work to their strengths and are engaged. If your quadrants are bottom-heavy, work towards making some changes and, when possible, delegate a minimum of one task per quarter to others where they may be a better fit.

 

‘The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.’
– Warren Buffett

 

QUARTERLY THINKING

ONE:   What do you want to accomplish by the end of Q3?

TWO:   How will you unwind, unplug and recharge to ensure you bring the best version of yourself to the job weekly?

THREE:   Identify three core professional areas of strength and three core areas of weakness. In Q3, aim to work more in your areas of strengths and do some professional development work in at least one area of challenge to help you improve in the job.

FOUR:   Identify at least five areas you can say ‘no’ to this quarter. One of my TEC members, Joseph Fry, Founding Principle of Hapa Collaborative, operates under a ‘hell yes’ or ‘hell no’ system when defining where he will spend his time. I love his energy and focus on working in areas that matter to the business.

 

If you have any questions about your quarter 3 review and planning or want to learn more about the powerful benefits of executive coaching to elevate your professional success, please reach out to +1 604-616-1967 or jenny@jennyreilly.com and book a complimentary 30-minute strategy session. If you want monthly leadership and professional development tips, sign up for my JRC newsletter or check out my social media on Instagram for top leadership advice throughout the year.

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2022 VISION – WHERE ARE YOU HEADED?

We are now into our seventh week in Q1, and it is time to refocus your attention on one or more of five key areas, which may require your time and attention:

  1. Your Vision
  2. People
  3. Data
  4. Processes, or
  5. Current Issues

Minor improvements in one or more areas can free up considerable time in your schedule and help you focus on the important rather than wasting time on workarounds. 

In what areas do you need to concentrate in Q1?

    • Is your 2022 team and company vision clearly articulated, communicated, and understood? – vision
    • Have you developed your team to enable them to efficiently handle details so you can focus on the big picture and not get stuck in the weeds? – people
    • Do you have a dashboard of data that you can regularly refer to get a complete picture of actual results? – data
    • Do your systems support your processes? – processes
    • Do you have an issues list that requires attention? – current issues

2022 VISION – WHERE ARE YOU HEADED?

Your team vision must be in line with your organizational vision. Do a temperature check with your team, ask two individuals randomly if they know the vision of the team? ‘Are you seeing what I am saying?’ Don’t assume that everyone sees the vision in the same way you do. Communicate clearly and often on the articulation of your vision. This will ensure team members do not become frustrated and confused. A compelling vision enables everyone to see the direction they are headed and how they will get there. Think of your team’s vision like a laser beam highlighting the path to take. Having a clear vision will enable you to plan action items required and help you retain focus strategically.

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH GREAT PEOPLE

It is imperative to have the right people in the right jobs. Look at your team and evaluate each member’s level of effectiveness in their roles. List accountabilities of each position, how core tasks are organized and by whom and if the structure is conducive to the roles and individuals you have in place. Is movement, training, or are additional or less staff required? 

YOUR PROFESSIONAL DASHBOARD

When driving, you often look down at your dashboard and check your speed and petrol level. Driving a vehicle is like leading a team. How can you lead effectively without knowing the details? Effective leadership requires the ability to have a dashboard or scorecard of data that will enable you to have a pulse on the work being done by your team, help you predict what may be needed and identify when areas are falling short of what is required and the action that is necessary to course correct.

Knowing your data will empower you. Understanding your numbers will help you problem solve and make decisions faster. Determine the core elements that should be highlighted on your dashboard or scorecard. Having this information will help you make decisions based on factual information.

ISSUE MANAGEMENT

All teams and organizations have areas that can be improved upon and issues that need to be addressed.

  • How do you track your issues?
  • Do you have an issue management list or a ticketing system?
  • When do you allocate time to solve identified issues?

The challenge is often that issues are identified but not resolved fast enough, which results in time and resource wastage. Allocate staffing time to solve issues, don’t let them mount if they are taking away from productivity, focus or results. Allocate time in your weekly meetings to discuss priority issues that require action and give your team permission to solve problems and clear off issues.

PROCESS MAPPING

The importance of process mapping cannot be underestimated—the need to know what needs to be done, how and in what order is essential for repetitive and scalable processes. A good process enables simplicity of action, increased efficiency, and scalability. Processes must be documented, shared, continually evaluated, and updated for maximum efficiency. 

CONTINUOUS DEVELOPMENT IN EXECUTION

Goals are not attained without discipline. A short runway of actionable steps within a quarter or 90-day period will help keep priorities aligned and provide focus on the essential item to be worked on. Just as 90-day plans are recommended, so too are frequent, preferably weekly meetings to ensure priorities are communicated, there is team alignment, and focus is on the most critical priority. 

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Simplify processes, eradicate rules when not necessary, be clear in what needs to be done, by whom, how it will be assessed, recorded and evaluated. Complexity comes with growth; however, if you can focus on using simplified processes, efficient operational systems, and delegation techniques to move work down to lessen bottlenecks, you will be well on your way to a more efficient organization. 

If you would like more information on leadership tactics and tips as you’re going through your 2022 vision, and you need someone to keep you accountable for your process and execution, I can be contacted at +1-604-616-1967 or jenny@jennyreilly.com. If you want monthly leadership tips, sign up for my JRC newsletter or check out my social media on Instagram for top leadership advice throughout the year.

 

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