It’s that time of year again when the air is filled with a collective excitement over progress! If you’re like me, you may be ready to turn over a new leaf, continue writing your story, and make little improvements that make a big difference in your life.
Whether you are a goal-setter, an intention-setter, or a person who hates writing goals but simply hopes for positive change, I believe we all feel some level of desire for improvement. Human beings seem to be wired for growth, and that’s a good thing.
So…what growth do you want to see in your business this year?
Perhaps you want to grow your revenue and client base. Maybe you want to focus on your processes and systems. Or maybe you feel the need for more balance to support your own mental/emotional health as you run your business. Whatever it is, it’s possible for you.
To help out, I’m sharing a simple process that I use to identify areas of need in my business and how to tackle them.
I do this every quarter (not just in January), and boy can I tell you, it makes a HUGE difference in what I’m able to accomplish throughout the year. Instead of wandering, I move forward with clear intention and focus, and my clients, team, and business are better for it.
So here it is, my strategic priority formula:
STEP ONE: Identify your “ROCKS”
ROCKS are those things that weigh you down in your business. They always seem to be there, and never seem to get resolved. They slow you down and make it hard to scale the mountain that is your business.
Ask the following questions to identify your ROCKS. You can do so by sitting down with your team (or yourself) and inquiring about your business as it is right now:
- What’s working?
- What’s missing?
- What’s broken?
- What’s confusing?
Write down your answers, and move on to step 2.
STEP TWO: Identify Your THREE Priorities (yep, only THREE!)
Look over the answers you wrote down to your ROCKS questions. Which THREE answers stand out? Which THREE, if you were to resolve them, would set you free? Which THREE, if they were no longer on the list, would allow you to experience the growth & change your heart desires? Which THREE could you make significant headway on if you focused on them for the next 3 months?
It is critical that you only have THREE priorities at a time. Anything more than that becomes white noise, and you’re much less likely to make the progress you desire. Remember that you will repeat this process again in 3 months time at the beginning of the next quarter, so anything left undone right now will get your attention at that time.
For now, focus on what needs to happen first. Anything extra can be added to next quarter’s priorities.
So you’ve got your THREE priorities? Awesome, here’s the exciting part!
STEP THREE: Write Out Your Strategic Priorities & Measure Them
I keep a document called “[Business Name] Strategic Priorities” on my computer with the most recent quarter at the top. Under each priority, I identify the following:
- The Priority
- Description of current state with that priority
- What do I want to be true in 3 months’ time?
- What does winning look like?
- Actions to take (with deadlines)
Here’s an example from my business for Q1 2022:
Priority #1 Complete all employee reviews
Description of current state: All employees need to complete a review
What do I want to be true? All employees feel supported, heard, and are doing well in the field
What Does Winning Look Like? All employees have had a review, including a session observation
ACTIONS
- Schedule employee reviews with all team members using Calendly
- Schedule session observation for all team members by reviewing their session schedule and asking about specific sessions I can observe
So there you have it! Having your priorities in writing with measurable goals and deadlines will set you up for success. This is truly my secret sauce for keeping my business growing, thriving, and vibrant.
I can’t wait for you to try it out and see how it works for you!
Now go make an impact!
xoxo,
Jaycie
P.S. If you’d like support in identifying these priorities or breaking down a big task into manageable chunks, I’d LOVE to help! Making big tasks feel easy is my specialty 🙂 Just click the link below to schedule a FREE 1:1 session and I’ll gladly help you out.