Sometimes, we underestimate how much time something is going to take. We all do it, especially when we set a goal and think we have a whole year ahead to get it done.
As I reflect on the past year, on the many things that have gone incredibly well in our firm and with our clients, I also got behind on two of my annual goals and needed to invest a lot more time and energy to get them done:
- Complete the first draft of my new book
- Add at least two new awesome strategy advisors to our team.
Both have the same cause: I didn’t make enough early progress. Now I am ‘cramming for the exam’ to deliver on my commitments.
Sound familiar?
Chart a Course
For my book, the number of hours I dedicated in my schedule, on a weekly basis, looks like the growth chart of a company – a little at the start and more and more towards the end. Now, at the start of the year, I’ll spend almost a day in a week to get the book draft across the line.
And, if I look at the amount of time that my team and I are now spending on recruiting new advisors, our efforts resemble the growth chart of a company rocketing to the moon.
It’s challenging to find people who have what it takes to be an amazing advisor, to facilitate strategy sessions, and to work with high-performing CEOs and their teams to help to optimize and drive their growth strategy.
Needless to say, our velocity has increased – and we will get it done.
There’s still time but it’s not waiting.
-Al Purdy, Canadian writer/poet
Frequency + Effort = Velocity
On projects, longer meeting rhythms lead to longer cycles. To increase velocity, you need to move to more frequent meetings and more effort.
That’s why quarterly goals and multiple checkpoints give us the chance to recalibrate early.
When we knew we were behind with the book and recruitment, at the end of Q2, we amped up our commitment in Q3. And recently in Q4, we increased our meeting frequency rhythms and velocity even more to get them done
If we’d done that earlier, we would have been ahead of the game.
The Challenge
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- If you look at the most the most high-value things you and your organization need to accomplish that are not quite on track, what can you do to increase your velocity?
Additional Blogs
- Are You Failing to Achieve Your Quarterly Goals?
- Ted Lasso & the Halftime Reset
- Work Your Best Laid Quarterly Plan
- What One Thing Do You Want to Achieve in 2023?
Older Podcasts
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