In a high growth business one of the most impactful things a leader can do is to create focus for their organisation – this is the power of ROCKS and the Quarterly meeting pulse in EOS.
However with high growth comes lots of change and complexity, making it challenging for leaders to be clear on the relevant issues and priorities for the quarter ahead.
If this sounds like your businesses and you want to ensure that your team is focused on what matters most for the next 90 days, I recommend each leadership team member follow these 5 steps to actively prepare for your next quarterly meeting:
Step 1: Solo review – past quarter performance
Review your own performance for the past quarter – Will there be any incomplete ROCKS? Why? Did you consistently hit all of your scorecard numbers? Did any new priorities arise during the quarter that drained your capacity? Are there any unresolved ‘People issues’ in your department?
Step 2: Build a list of priorities, review with your team
Get all the priorities, big and small, out of your head and onto a piece of paper – these can be incomplete rocks, unresolved issues, or what you would like to achieve for the next 90 days.
Share the list with your direct reports and get their input and identify anything you might have missed. Tip: I recommend against taking a blank sheet of paper to the team – unless you can invest the full time for the team to diverge / converge (over multiple sessions ideally).
If you don’t have any direct reports, do this 1on1 with another member of your leadership team
Step 3: Review 1on1 with your Integrator
Share your list of priorities with your Integrator and spend some dedicated time together to review to align on your top 3, and if possible identify any potential Company ROCKS.
Tip for Integrators: schedule all the 1on1 reviews in close succession, and identify any cross-departmental interdependencies.
Step 4: Review the collective list with your Leadership Team
Build a long list of all the priorities from the whole leadership team – schedule some time together to review, refine, and map out any interdependencies. Use this as an opportunity to debate and gain clarity of the top 3 company ROCKS.
Step 5: Refine your individual list
Take some time a few days before your quarterly meeting to refine your individual list and be clear of any milestones and a SMART definition for each ROCK. You should also identify any resources you will need, or issues that will hamper your ability to complete in time
That’s it!
While this may sound like a lot of work, it can save you (and the business) a massive amount of time and energy in the long run – you will avoid setting ROCKS that are not really that impactful, not clearly defined, or worse – taking on too many ROCKS (mistaking ‘being busy’ for ‘being effective’)
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