For business owners and leaders, the journey to success involves a delicate balance between professional and personal aspirations. And, it’s important that you address, and work towards both of these in order to gain both entrepreneurial and personal success.
The end of each 90 days marks a valuable opportunity for entrepreneurs to pause, reflect, and recalibrate their trajectory.
For this reason our Ascentis Business Club is held quarterly to allow our clients to look back on the goals they set for themselves as a business leader, and as an individual. This allows us to celebrate past wins and identify opportunities for the future.
In this blog post, we’ll explore comprehensive techniques for reviewing the previous quarter, considering not only business growth but also personal vision and strategic leadership goals. Let’s delve into some handy methods to assess progress, and how this reflection can lay the foundation for setting meaningful goals in the upcoming 90 days.
Reviewing Business Growth
1. Financial Metrics and Strategic Leadership Goals:
Of course the financial performance of your business gives you a good idea as to whether you’ve seen growth as a result of the goals you have set for yourself. Whether you’ve made a goal to expand in a particular market or gain a new client, the best place to start is by scrutinising the financial health of your business. Assess not only general financial metrics but also those aligned with strategic leadership goals.
2. Client Acquisition and Retention:
Evaluate your success in gaining new clients and retaining existing ones. If your strategic leadership goal was to expand your client base, analyse the effectiveness of your outreach and customer retention strategies. If you’ve made a plan to improve your client retention, celebrate keeping them on board. If things haven’t gone your way in these areas, identify areas for improvement and learn from them.
3. Operational Efficiency:
Examine the efficiency of your business operations. If streamlining processes and improving your margins was a strategic leadership goal, assess whether the implemented changes led to improved productivity and reduced costs. These insights can help you look to the future, and identify further opportunities.
Reviewing Personal Vision and Strategic Leadership Goals:
1. Alignment with Leadership Goals:
Reflect on your personal vision and how well it aligns with your leadership goals. It’s not always just about making money. Perhaps you want to improve efficiency so you can offer a shorter working week to your staff. Or maybe you have an exit plan and want to encourage growth so you can retire early.
2. Personal Development:
Perhaps, as well as business growth, you want to expand your knowledge and skills too. Whether that’s leadership skills or even your golf swing, it’s important you also focus on what you want to achieve for yourself. This also ties in to the goals we mention above, about figuring out what it is you want to achieve as a leader, and ensuring your personal development helps you get there too.
Looking Ahead at The Next 90 Days
1. Innovative Growth Objectives:
Set innovative goals for both your business growth and personal vision. These can carry on from your goals from the previous quarter, but be sure to challenge yourself to explore new avenues, be it through innovative product launches, strategic partnerships, or personal development initiatives. Think outside of the box to find new goals that can align with your long-term vision.
2. Balancing Act:
Maintain equilibrium between business and personal goals. Acknowledge the symbiotic relationship between your professional and personal life, ensuring that success in one area contributes positively to the other. Don’t sacrifice time with your family or on those passions that bring you joy, instead see how you can work in ways that support your own personal growth.
A quarterly review encompassing business growth, personal vision, and strategic leadership goals is a compass guiding entrepreneurs toward success. It’s one of the key disciplines we work on to encourage strategic growth in our clients.
By examining the intricate interplay between these facets, you not only celebrate achievements but also pinpoint areas for refinement.
Use this holistic reflection to set meaningful and aligned goals for the upcoming 90 days, propelling both your business and personal journey to new heights. Embrace the iterative nature of growth, and let each quarter serve as a stepping stone toward your long-term vision of success, whatever that may be.