Rush To The Urgent, Or Plan For 2013?

As we enter the fourth quarter of the year, are you still focused on 2012 or planning for 2013?

At a recent meeting with a group of business leaders, all from the same company, we went around the table and asked “who is on plan or ahead of plan this year and who is not?” A common theme emerged amongst those who answered that they were meeting their plan or ahead of plan.

Here is what I heard:

• 2012 is over – we are already planning for 2013. We did the same last year and hit the ground running in January (actually before then)
• everyone on the team knows their contribution to the goal and where each of them stand – i.e. we set individual goals as well as team goals, measure performance and make it public

Seems so simple and yet, only about 1/3 of the people at the table were actually achieving their goals.

Here are some questions for your consideration:

• I wonder what stops the two-thirds  from following the practices of the one-third? Is it perhaps rushing to the urgent and missing the important along the way?
• How does this all fit with what you are doing this quarter?
• How might the experience of these successful leaders perhaps impact the choices you make in the remaining few months of the year?

Elisa K. Spain