As we start getting back to “business as usual,” that means returning to review meetings that focus on tactics and metrics. But as Bobbie LaPorte shares in her July 12 “Your Best Next Move” video, it’s especially critical right now that you also consider long-term strategy and what you think is POSSIBLE—so you are positioned to lead your organization into a period of growth and prosperity.
TRANSCRIPT OF “YOUR BEST NEXT MOVE: DON’T FALL INTO THE TACTICS TRAP”
Hi, everyone. Bobbie LaPorte here again with my weekly tips for “Your Best Next Move,” where I help you have more agency in your work, acknowledge your capacity to act, and see what you can do right now.
As I’ve been talking with clients recently, it’s been really heartening to hear that they are re-engaging in some of what many of us call the corporate rituals like QBRs, ops reviews, and H2 planning. These things give everybody a concrete feeling of getting back to the business as we knew it. And that’s all great.
But at the same time, I’m hearing that some leaders in these meetings are tending to focus on tactics, the more day-to-day execution of the work in their functional areas. For instance, focusing on things like how many calls sales reps are making, how many leads is marketing generating, how many sprints is engineering doing, etcetera, etcetera. That kind of thing.
Look, that information is necessary, no question, but it can be very tempting for leaders like you who are preparing for these reviews to take the easy way out, to default to what’s known and comfortable. Many of us are still feeling the fatigue of the last 16 months. Our brains are tired, and we simply don’t want to think more and work harder.
But it’s critical for you not to let that happen. You also need to in these sessions present directional information on your plans. For instance, how are you building capacity in your team? How are you considering the possibilities to creating additional success coming out of the pandemic? How you are thinking about the future?
So here’s my tip:
Don’t fall into the trap of these sessions of thinking, “OK, I’ll just give them what they want” and focus on tactics vs strategy. You are doing a disservice to think small. Be prepared to address the relevant metrics for your area, of course, but also be prepared to offer ideas for what you see as possible, for people, for products and for processes. The economic trends are signaling that a time of growth and prosperity is ahead, so it’s important to be future-focused and think BIG.
I want 2021 to be a year momentum for you…one of possibility thinking, where you take advantage of the agency we sometimes forget we have. That’s my tip for this week.
The year is halfway over…unbelievable! I’ll see you next week. In the meantime, take care of yourself.