Somehow, we’ve arrived in November.

Perhaps it’s the pace of business coupled with yet-unknowns, but the end of 2021 is near and many of us are shaking our heads.

Some questions to consider to be prepared for 2022 with a sharp strategic focus:

Leadership:

  • Where would I like to be more courageous in 2022?
  • Where is my learning edge, where I can stretch and grow as the business grows?
  • What is the greatest impact that I want to have?
  • What are my top 5 strategic priorities, and do I have a clear action plan for executing on them?
  • Where would I like to be more visible with my thought leadership, internally and externally?
  • What are the key relationships that I need to be sure that I’m nourishing?
  • This time next year, I will be most proud of accomplishing the following:

Teams:

  • Do I have the right people right now?
  • Do I have a talent retention and recruitment strategy?
  • Have I anticipated our human infrastructure needs for the next 12-18 months as we grow?
  • Is my deputy/COS top notch and able to provide a buffer to the daily and run interference?
  • Is my team Self-Correcting℠? If not, what are the greatest gaps?  How will I address them?
  • Do we know our mission and targets, and are we adequately prepared to reach them?
  • Are we trusting, cohesive, and able to execute seamlessly, even when faced with obstacles?

Business:

  • Are we still pushing the boundaries of innovation despite the brisk pace of business?
  • Have we evaluated our key metrics and milestones and our preparedness to meet them?
  • Are we monitoring and taking into account the factors of supply chain, inflation, and talent?
  • Do we have adequate processes in place to anticipate and mitigate their effects?
  • Have we mined our successes and have we established internal best practices as a result?
  • Have we assessed our culture and made it as competitive as possible against our competition?
  • Are we crystal clear on our mission and are we communicating it well and effectively connecting team members throughout the organization to it, repeatedly?

As you prepare to hit the ground running in the new year, let me know if I can be of help.