We have zoomed past our first 90 days of 2018. And no doubt you’re wondering, as I am, where that time went? Time seems to fly by so fast which is why it’s so critical in today’s business environment to stay focused and have clarity on what you’re trying to achieve and why it’s important. Otherwise you can get distracted very easily with the myriad of things vying for our attention.
Traditionally, particularly in the corporate space, the end of a 90 day period, or the end of the quarter, it a time to reflect on your results to date and the actions that have gotten you to where you are today. If this isn’t part of your business tradition I certainty encourage it to become one!
To assist in your reflection, here are eight powerful questions to use as a guide in an effort to gain clarity on what you’re doing well, what you can leverage and what needs to change. You can apply this to your team performance also and have this as a group discussion. Either way the time is now to do this exercise and ensure your sails are set in the right direction for quarter two.
- What have you done well?
- What needs to improve?
- Do you have a good balance of time spent ‘on’ and ‘in’ the business?
- Has busyness consumed you?
- Are you falling into old habits?
- Have you been able to pivot and be flexible when necessary?
- Are you sticking to your priorities?
- How has your attitude been? Is it supporting or detracting from your leadership?
Based on your response to these questions you can then move to another simple but powerful exercise to set yourself up for even better success. Simply called ‘stop, start, change and continue’, this activity can, and will (if you put the time in), assist you in navigating your way through the frantic pace of business with clarity on:
What do you need to stop, start, change and continue so the next 90 days are better than the first? As John Maxwell says “You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” It can be the simplest of tweaks that will make a big difference to your outcomes.
Write it down, get clear and get going!
Whether you are a team of 1 or a team of thousands, taking the time to stop, reflect and reset is super powerful.
The most important part of this is to stop and reflect rather than just keeping on keeping on which can be a tendency to do especially when we think we are time poor. How you decide to choose to use your time will have a direct impact on your outcomes. Make an empowered decision for your leadership and your business or career and make the time to stop and ensure your sails are set in the right direction and make the next 90 days count.