Years ago, I came across a banker whose passion for his work was overwhelming. He was so driven and enthusiastic, it was like he had a team of horses inside of him, continually running flat out in all directions, all the time, without exhaling. He wanted to do it all. He spent so much of his time responding to the urgency of the moment that he forgot to question if he was making progress on his goals.
To run a business effectively, managers must establish and maintain a rhythm for their business.. Routines provide structure and are vital to running an organization effectively. They will enable you to manage through a disciplined process that consistently produces intended results. Without our routines, processes, daily tasks and obligations would become a struggle. Inevitably some things would be forgotten. Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual meetings establish the business rhythm needed to keep your business aligned.
A “Business Rhythm” management cycle is that set of leadership processes designed to:
- Track progress against strategy and planning
- Review status on operational results
- Update the strategy regularly
- Ensure action is being driven by insight based on relevant, current information and is focused on achieving the vision.
I am often surprised, however, that many executive teams don’t exercise this particular discipline when it comes to running their company. Even though they almost always have an annual planning process and quarterly review meetings, they often lack a predictable and structured schedule for communicating and making decisions the rest of the year.
You might ask yourself…Does my organization have an effective rhythm of daily, weekly, quarterly, and annual meetings to maintain alignment as well as drive accountability? Are our meetings well run and useful? And yes, your employees may roll their eyes at the idea of more meetings, but remember that until your employees are “mocking” you, you haven’t repeated your message enough!
Here at Three Page®, our clients know that they can easily attach a weekly agenda to their tracker for use at their weekly meetings. I like to call these the “8 Minute Meetings.” Brief, concise, and necessary to achieve the balance between your short and long term.
Remember… routine shall set you free!