After returning from a meeting with a CEO earlier this week, the day’s light had gone, temperatures had dropped, and the treadmill, rather than the pavement, was calling.

Although not my favorite, in a pinch the treadmill will do.

It even has its advantages.

Chief among them, it says: How fast can you run and for how long can you sustain that pace?

I decided to ask that question.

But what came back was more interesting: My baseline had changed.

After running full tilt and then dialing back the speed, I discovered that my cruising pace, the speed at which I could run comfortably and efficiently over distance, had gotten faster.

A lot  faster.

And it didn’t feel like much effort.

At all.

In the world of business, speed often matters above all else.

Are you and your team able to run sustainably faster than your competition?

As you look at your organization’s strategy for 2018, I suggest the following 5 questions:

1. Do you know where you are and where you’re going? (Market share, revenue, margin improvement, improved delivery and customer satisfaction, new product to market, for example.)
2. Do you know the one area that is most critical, on which the others hinge, and where you need to move faster?
3. Do you know what will most rapidly move the needle in that area? (Flawless and autonomous team performance and execution with the right people in the right seats, employees with entrepreneurial drive, improved delegation and getting out of the weeds so you can focus on and accelerate success, for example.)
4. Is your strategy designed so that it is able to be executed by all those who have assumed its responsibility? Is it built to withstand the daily job requirements of those committed to it?  And is it dispersed among your team rather than resting only with the president, CEO, or EVP?
5. And, perhaps most importantly, is your strategy the extension of your mission and vision? And is that mission and vision current, relevant, and embodied by you, your team, and your organization?  Do you believe in what you’re striving for?

I work with talented and successful CEOs and Fortune 1000 senior executives to accelerate performance and drive business outcomes.  If you want to greet the opportunities of 2018 with preparedness and speed, I’ll have openings in late January for working with me directly.

To have a mutually exploratory conversation about partnering, you can reach me at: sarah@sarah-levitt.com

And stay tuned!  My book, Magnificent Leadership, is weeks away from being released!