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Quarter 3 – Refine Your Strategic Intent

Strategic Intent

What challenges, opportunities or issues should you professionally be focusing on this Quarter?

Every Quarter I block a day off to work on my business. I structure time to do a review of the past Quarter. I then assess the following categories to help determine the top three areas that I should strategically focus on for the upcoming Quarter:

Business Strategy Defined for the Quarter – review, check if still relevant and a priority, and determine if the strategy needs to be tweaked or changed.

Money + Business Finances – evaluate the past Quarter’s financial performance and update the future Quarter’s projections. Assess costs that could be reduced, determine if there are any opportunities to increase profits.

Marketing – review ROI on marketing expenditure, assess distribution channels for improvements, determine any new implementations and digital marketing strategies for next Quarter. Review website content and assess if any changes, updates or additions are needed.

Sales – review the sales process and determine any areas for improving customer focus and service. Develop your revised sales strategy for next Quarter.

Employees – connect with employees to discuss satisfaction, ideas for improvement and overall feedback on the business/unit.

Operations – assess how the business can be leaner and more efficient, focus on reducing costs, and consider ways in which processes can be improved to increase output.

Technology – review technology expenditure in the last Quarter. Evaluate software being used, and determine better ways to utilize it for maximum productivity and profitability.

 

“Designing a winning strategy is the art of asking questions, experimenting and then constantly renewing the thinking process by questioning the answers.”

~ Constantinos Markides ~

Professor of Strategic Leadership at London Business School

 

Strategy Steps - Strategic Intent - Quarter 3 Strategy 2021 - Jenny Reilly Consulting

After prioritizing areas that you want to focus on, follow the next three steps:

Step 1. Articulate your top three Q3 strategies.

Step 2. Define the capabilities, gaps, or potential threats that may stand in the way of achieving your strategy.

Step 3. Keep it simple, detail steps that you will be required to take, by when and by whom through the implementation stage.

Capabilities

Your capabilities, skills, knowledge and competencies enable you to fulfill your strategy. Your capabilities can be compiled under your reputation, people, technology, assets and finances.

The following questions will help provide focus on areas that need concentration and development:

  • Do you have a poor, satisfactory, good, or great reputation?
  • Do you have a loyal client/customer base?
  • Do you have a strong, recognizable brand?
  • Do you have knowledgeable, engaged, experienced and skilled people?
  • Do you utilize technology that meets your expectations to help you grow and scale in your position or business?
  • Do you have sufficient financial reserves to cover six months of expenses in case of emergencies?

As a result of answering the above questions, what areas should you concentrate on to improve in Q3?

For each area identified, estimate how much time you should spend working on improvements, and block off the required time in your schedule over the upcoming three months.

Action + Execution

 

“Strategy is easy – the day-to-day and month-to-month decisions required to manage a business – are hard.”

~ Arthur Rock ~

 

Strategy execution is difficult to facilitate effectively without some of the following core components:

  • Structure: structure enables employees to understand their role and how their core tasks fit into the big picture.
  • Processes + Systems: provide clear and transparent information and a map of how to do things and in what order.
  • People: your people’s skillsets and mindsets are key to having effective processes, procedures, and structures in place.
  • Incentives: rewards enable motivation, establish metrics and key performance indicators to follow in the delivery of strategies.

Your leadership style and behaviour set the tone for your business/unit. When leading a strategic intent, your authenticity is instilled by what you say, what you do, and how you do it. Strategic leadership is based on decisiveness on how to move forward founded on due diligence. Analysis of the facts and stakeholder input provides you with a direction forward and negates personal perceptions getting in the way and lending to errors of judgement. Being decisive in your strategy execution enables you a path to follow, and at the same time, pivot or adjust as new information is presented or circumstances change.

Executing tasks requires time to find the time you have to block off uninterrupted periods in your schedule to enable focus and efficiencies. Not having enough time to execute on a strategic intent is an excuse. Make the time, prioritize your schedule and be diligent in following through.

 

What is your strategic leadership capacity?

Sound knowledge of strategy is critical for all in leadership positions. The importance of identifying, analyzing complex business decisions, crafting strategic intent statements, and being confident in making informed decisions cannot be understated.

Your strategic leadership capacity can be developed, and the best way to start this process is to gain a more comprehensive understanding of all management and strategy areas. Strategy needs to be continually reviewed in our evolving, dynamic and ever-changing environment. Integrating different viewpoints when conducting your analysis of an issue, evaluating those viewpoints and selecting the most appropriate course of action will enable you to develop into a strong strategic leader.

DO YOU WANT TO BE A STRATEGIC LEADER?

Strategic leaders are attentive and listen carefully to external perceptions and internal stories from colleagues on their business. Checking in on internal and external feedback can provide a bountiful of information that can be extremely useful from a strategic standpoint. If there are patterns in the stories, there are often multiple areas that can be pinpointed that will require strategic leadership attention.

Questions you could ask stakeholders:

  • If you had to describe the current business strategies through an internal story that shone in either a positive or negative light, what would it be?
  • Are there any reoccurring problematic issues that are occurring in the business? Can you define them and provide your feedback on how they could be addressed?

Questions for you to consider in Q3:

  • In comparison to the current reputation of your business, can you provide a description of where you would prefer it too ideally be?
  • What are the normal processes you go through when making significant strategic decisions that will affect the bottom line?
  • Think about the internal business culture and the ways in which people behave and are treated within the organization. What are three things that you could be doing in Q3 to improve the business culture?

Tips for leading strategically include:

  • Consider internal and external data factors in the execution of your decisions.
  • Be mindful of the complexity and ambiguity around strategic issues, and ensure communication is transparent when factors are not straightforward.
  • Integrate ideas from cross-functional areas in your business to ensure diverse positions are considered.
  • Don’t micromanage; in fact, take a step back and allow others to manage their responsibilities and deliverables.

 

We can help you with your professional development or provide tailored executive coaching that can help support your leadership or your leadership team, please reach out to askme@jennyreilly.com to schedule a convenient time for a complimentary strategy session.

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Your Top 6 Tips to Avoid Zoom Fatigue

Zoom Benefits and Zoom Fatigue

I think I may be one of the few who enjoy connecting over zoom. I have become accustomed to the number of daily video connections. In fact, in my consultancy, my productivity has doubled as I no longer have to include travel time between strategy consults or coaching meetings and can use this time to work on other areas in the business. However, I do empathize with individuals who have reached zoom fatigue and are struggling with the number of zoom calls they are participating in weekly.

In a Forbes article, the following statistics were referenced, which can’t be ignored:

  • 45% of employees reported attending more meetings during the pandemic than when working in the office
  • 40% of employees have experienced mental exhaustion from video calls, and
  • 52 % of employees said background noise and/or poor audio quality disrupted their focus

 

The following Top 6 simple tips will allow you to get into a rhythm that will help you stay organized and engaged during your zoom connections.

  1. Set up a suitable space for zoom calls. Where possible, have an area that is not busy, cluttered or messy. I have moved my desk, so a white wall is behind me. If you feel it necessary, either blur your background on add a virtual background. *Warning: more often than not, virtual backgrounds do not look great. The picture may be interesting; however, you will become distorted or often show a large shadow around your head when you move your head or hands. Please do not put moving videos as your zoom background screen. I was on a call where the person had a video of their small child riding their bicycle in circles. Cute for the first two seconds; however, it did not leave a lasting professional impression.
  2. Mute yourself when you are not talking so others on the call do not have to hear loud background noise such as a lawnmower, a dog barking (yes, that usually is my 90-pound Bernadoodle), or family noise.
  3. Turn off your notifications, so they do not go off loudly during a connection.
  4. Don’t multitask when on a zoom call – be focused, and the meeting will be faster and more efficient (no typing or answering phone calls/texts) when on a video call.
  5. If there is no agenda, there is no reason for a meeting. If there is no objective behind a meeting nor an agenda, I question the necessity and if attending is the best use of your time. Make use of your time; it is valuable and cannot be regained after use.
  6. End meetings promptly and on time. If you cover all that is on the agenda, call the meeting to a close, don’t go until the meeting end time or add additional items to the agenda.

 

Remote meetings do not have to be problematic; we need to be prepared differently; however, the premise of what needs to be done is the same as in-person meetings.

If you have not bought a webcam, it is well worth the investment. I use a Logitech C922; it is clear and has excellent autofocus, stereo sound, and straightforward to use.

Happy Zooming!

 

We can help you with your professional development or provide tailored executive coaching that can help support your leadership or your leadership team, please reach out to askme@jennyreilly.com to schedule a convenient time for a complimentary zoom strategy session.

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Leadership and Coaching | How to Predict Your Success?

How to Predict Your Success?

 

Predict Your Success | What’s Your Direction?

There are people that you come across that you know are going to be successful – do you agree? This doesn’t mean they are better than you, but that they simply focus on the right things, manage their time well, and have a clearer vision of what they want in their life. It’s time to predict your success!

Are you ready to set your direction for success?

  • What is important to you in your professional and personal life?
  • What are you focusing on now, and why?
  • Are you focusing on your highest-value activities?
  • Do you need to re-evaluate where you are spending your time?
  • Are you willing to try strategies that others use to be more focused and results orientated?
  1. Focus 100% on high-value tasks that will bring you significant results.
  2. Block off uninterrupted time chunks daily to move your goals forward exponentially.

Do not waiver on project focus, and your results will be three-fold by year-end.

 

80/20 Rule of Thumb

80/20 Rule of Thumb

 

Focus On Success | 80/20 Rule of Thumb

What is holding you back from getting what needs to be done? Is it time to identify your key constraints?

20% of our activities typically produce 80% of our results

When looking at your day and formulating your priorities, you will be surprised how much you can get done when you focus on the top 20%.

It is easy to waste time or be ‘busy’ on unimportant items. To ensure you do not do this, you need to adopt a productivity-focused mindset and retain focus on what is important and brings the most value.

Focus on the top 20% of tasks that are on your list that reap 80% of your results.

Start your day working on the identified top 20% of your activities; you will make decisions faster and make more progress on high-value tasks.

 

Just Say No

Just Say No

 

Be Successful | Say No!

One of the best ways to manage your schedule and not feel so stressed or overwhelmed is to become comfortable saying the word ‘No’. If something is not of value to you, graciously bow out politely and don’t feel compelled to take it on. Focus instead on your professional and personal goals, rather than those of others.

For every ask, run it through the ABCDE process:

A Must do | B Should do | C Something nice to do, but not necessary | D Delegate it | E Eliminate it

 

If you are interested in learning about professional development or executive coaching can help support your leadership or your leadership team, please reach out to askme@jennyreilly.com to schedule a convenient time for a complimentary strategy session.

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Core Connections | Expand Your Network

Over the years, you would have developed a circle of individuals around you, your trusted friends, advisors and colleagues. It is vital to continue to build on this group adding additional people who may be able to help you attain your goals more efficiently and faster. Expanding your circle is not all that difficult; the first step is to ask your current connections if they have any suggestions on who you need to know that would help you in your current role or attain your goals moving forward. Secondly, I encourage you to reach out to individuals on LinkedIn who you would like to get to know. When sending them an invite, add a brief note explaining your ‘why.’

I try to have conversations with at least ten new people weekly, and I walk my talk – I reach out to individuals recommended and connect through LinkedIn. LinkedIn had it right when they broke down their connections into 1st, 2nd and 3rd-degree levels. I am sure you have heard of the infamous six degrees of separation. It is a theory based on the premise that even though we live in a world of 7.6 billion people, in all likely hood we are only six degrees (or less) away from someone that we want to connect to. The idea is that we are all connected in some way, through personal or professional acquaintances, and if you want to communicate with a specific person, then you start by telling all you know of your request, and it goes on from there.

The thought of ‘networking’ often gives individuals a level of anxiety. I want to help you develop a different outlook on ‘networking,’ and during this time of COVID, I have felt it to be easier than it ever has been (yes, I really do mean that!)

The majority of my clients do not come from my social media feed, advertising or marketing but through referrals. The referrals primarily come from my circle of connectors (or circle of influence around me); they have gotten to know me well and readily refer people to me when they see a fit.

Core Connections | Expand Your Network - Challenge - Jenny Reilly Consulting

Jenny Reilly Consulting – June Challenge

June Challenge

Set a simple goal of initiating a meeting with two new people weekly (phone call, zoom or depending on where you live, an in-person connection). If you fail one week, don’t stop or lose your momentum; reach out to two more people and start again.

Be curious – ask questions rather than talk about yourself

Be generous – share your contacts or resources that may help the individual in their role

Be teachable – if the individual has a new or different opinion than yours, listen and learn

We can help you with your professional development or provide tailored executive coaching that can help support your leadership or your leadership team, please reach out to askme@jennyreilly.com to schedule a convenient time for a complimentary strategy session.

Get your leadership strategies and tactics in my monthly newsletter, sign up here to subscribe.

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Verbal Fluency and 3 Ways to Motivate You to Take Action

The Importance of Verbal Fluency

I have had the opportunity to work with educated and technically brilliant individuals and the most hardworking and verbally fluent entrepreneurs who have excelled in their field.

The individuals who stand out to me have verbal fluency, can communicate their point, develop and build relationships, and have increased levels of influence and persuasion skills through their communication ability. Being verbally fluent enables you to speak comfortably and confidently to anyone, and this is a skill that I cannot emphasize enough is essential to success.

Being verbally fluent does not mean that you have to have the most extensive vocabulary. Instead, you know how to communicate and what works best to be easily understood by the receiver.

When you are initially connecting with someone finding common ground is crucial. By that, I do not mean peppering someone with question after question, but being genuinely interested, listening more than you speak and sometimes even showing vulnerability, especially when you are discussing complex topics. It is not often that I connect with someone whereby I cannot find something we have in common. When you look for similarities rather than differences, you will find them everywhere, and they are often around family, travel, food, interests or concerns.

Once you find something in common, there is no such thing as breaking the ice – you have already done it. I often find myself saying ‘tell me more’ when meeting individuals and learning their stories. Asking an individual to ‘tell me more’ is not a technique but a genuine interest I have in learning more about an individual. Listening more than speaking, being fully present genuine and warm, comes naturally when you are enjoying making a connection.

 

“The individuals who stand out to me have verbal fluency, can communicate their point, develop and build relationships…” ~ Jenny Reilly

 

Analysis Paralysis | 3 Easy Steps to Motivate Your to Take Action 

When we are at the crux of making a significant decision or involved in a critical or complex project, we may go through a period whereby we experience analysis paralysis. When you feel dumbfounded by the number of options or information that needs to be processed, you may procrastinate on the action that should be taken.

Follow these three steps to help you get to the other side, and focus on what matters to enable you to be productive and attain greater results:

 

3 Easy Steps to Motivate you To Take Action (1)

 

If you need help developing your verbal fluency or getting motivated again. Get in touch with us today.  We can help you with your professional development or provide tailored executive coaching that can help support your leadership or your leadership team, please reach out to askme@jennyreilly.com to schedule a convenient time for a complimentary strategy session.

Get your leadership strategies and tactics in my monthly newsletter, sign up here to subscribe.

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