At least a quarterly recurring refresh is critical keep your leadership team on track and working toward long-term results. 90 days is about as long as people can stay focused without getting off track. It’s just how people are wired. Let’s look at how this practice works to renew focus.
Businesses that use StrategyOS renew commitments on at least a 90-day cycle. As part of this cycle, the leadership team meets for a full day to review, refocus, set priorities, and solve the most important issues.
The recurring refresh meeting includes the following agenda items. It plans about 6.5 hours of focused work time allowing for a working lunch and breaks:
1. Transition warm-up (10 minutes)
Each team member shares:
- Their best news,
- What is and is not working, and
- Expectations for the meeting.
This helps to get everyone engaged and on the same page and identifies any key issues.
2. Review of the previous quarter (30 minutes)
The team reviews the Scorecard along with the Rocks that were set for the previous quarter. They discuss what went well and what didn’t, and learn from any shortcomings. Capture key issues that the review raises.
3. Review of the Business Model Cheat sheet (40 minutes)
Make sure everyone is on the same page about the company’s vision. Refine as needed with particular attention to Themes that may need updated. Capture Issues, Ideas and Insights about whether teams feel confident that each Theme still has good:
- Relevance: Do we still have the right business model?
- Progress: Are we moving at the right pace?
- Mood: Is everyone still onboard?
4. Establish next quarter’s Rocks (100 minutes)
The team lists all the items that must get done in the next quarter. They decide which items to combine, kill, or keep, and assign ownership to each. Each team member should have 1 to about 3 priority Rocks for the next quarter.
5. Review quarter’s focus area (40 min)
Define a specific quarterly focus area for each meeting that ensures the team gives attention to important themes or other destinations outside of more routine operations. This is a chance to define related Initiatives and uncover Issues that may otherwise not get enough attention. Focus areas can include department plans, talent management, budgeting, and with an extra day each year, annual strategic planning.
6. Solve key issues (140 minutes)
The team reviews the Issues List and removes any issues that have been resolved and identifies about 3 priority issues for the quarter. They solve these using the appropriate problem solving approach that identifies root causes, solutions, and action steps.
7. Wrap-up (10 minutes)
The team summarizes, reviews action items and next steps and assigns owners and due dates to any missing them.
8. Rate (10 minutes)
Each team member shares their feedback on the meeting with at least one good and one delta and rates the meeting to help improve the next iteration.
Refer to perfect meeting principles for great meeting practices. Here are some highlights for running a successful refresh meeting:
- Time block to start and end on time. This shows respect for everyone’s time and helps to keep the meeting on track.
- Be prepared. The team should come to the meeting with all the necessary prework and information, such as scorecard metrics, rocks, and issues.
- Be open, honest and engaged. The team should feel comfortable sharing their feedback and discussing any challenges. Schedule enough in advance that members have no other obligations; keep phones away until breaks.
- Be solution-oriented. The focus of the meeting should be on making decisions and finding solutions to problems, not just discussing them.
- Follow up. After the meeting, the team members take action on decisions made. Continue to track progress at weekly Leadership Team Meetings.
The quarterly meeting is an important opportunity for the leadership team to align on goals, address issues, and make sure the business is on track. Use this newsletter to get the most out of your (at least) quarterly recurring refresh meetings.
Follow these tips and agenda items to ensure quarterly meetings are productive and effective. Or, book a workshop to jumpstart your team on #StrategyOS.
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May you find Passion, Joy, and Freedom in all your pursuits.
Horizon Line Group 
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