If you are anything like me, you may not have realized how quickly the first quarter of the year went by. It feels like I blinked and we are already in April 2025. The neat thing about April? It’s springtime in California which makes me happy, and it’s the start of quarter two of the calendar year. For those running on a different fiscal year calendar, this may be your fourth quarter.
If you are anything like me, you may not have realized how quickly the first quarter of the year went by. It feels like I blinked and we are already in April 2025. The neat thing about April? It’s springtime in California which makes me happy, and it’s the start of quarter two of the calendar year. For those running on a different fiscal year calendar, this may be your fourth quarter.
Reflecting and refocusing every 12 weeks is a great rhythm to establish in your organization. It doesn’t have to be done on the quarter, but the quarter does allow for an already established rhythm to the year. And although the quarter has started, it is never too late to implement this super simple process to ensure you are focusing on the right components.
See, most organizations choose to focus on too many things instead of those tactics that will move their business forward towards their goals. The larger you are, the more goals you are going to have in each department, and that is ok. At the same time, you can’t expect your leaders to work on making the organization better if they are also stuck doing too much of the day-to-day (but that is a blog post for another day and time).
Here is a simple way to break down your goals to ensure you are doing what needs to be done as well as your team. This can be done with one of your trusted executives or as a larger executive or leadership team. The great thing is that this can be done if you are a solopreneur or if you lead an organization with various departments. The framework remains the same.
- Establish a time frame (if it’s not on the quarter or if you’d rather do 6-month priority planning).
- Brainstorm all of the business needs.
- Create a list of the critical needs of the business from the previous brainstorm. (Sometimes we have perceived priorities, but the reality is they would be nice to do, but aren’t necessary at this time.)
- Reviewing the list, decide which three are the most important to complete.
Ask yourself the following questions in helping you decide:
If we were to complete this priority, would it alleviate a roadblock we have?
Will this priority help to propel the business forward?
Completing which priority helps set the stage for the next priority?
As an example, an organization needs leads and a way to store potential customer data. The organization should set up a CRM first, which would then allow them to keep track of new leads.
- Once you have your list of priorities, decide the following for each:
- Goal: Does this help me reach my goal?
- Deliverable: What will you have/achieve when this is complete?
- Details: What are the details that need to be considered for completing this item?
- Timeline: When will this be complete?
- Tasks to be completed: What are the smaller tasks that need to be completed to achieve the larger priority?
- Deadlines for smaller tasks: Create deadlines for the smaller tasks
- Assign responsibility for tasks and the overall project: Who is going to be responsible and manage the priority?
The above assumes a couple of things that I want to make note of. The above assumes that you have annual goals in place. If you don’t have that in place, then that is where you need to start. It also assumes that you have the resources to get the tasks completed that you decide upon. Resources meaning people, time, and financial resources.
That’s it. In an hour, you can have your quarterly goals established.
I have an exercise and template with this Quarterly Planning Process. If you’d like it, email me at info@germanbusinessconsulting.com and I am happy to send it to you to use.
Ways to Work Together
If you are feeling trapped in your business and not experiencing the freedom you want, here are the two ways we can work together.
One-on-One: Ready to create a business that allows you the freedom you want? We are passionate about our custom solutions and systems for your business. Our approach takes your industry, your unique disposition as a business owner, and your emerging definition of success, and we develop a unique to you plan to move you towards loving your business again. Click the link above to set up a call identify your goals, discuss your current roadblocks, and to ask any questions about working together.
Business Roadmap: This is for the business owner who needs help on what the next thing is to do, and the next 5 steps after that. You don’t need another social media course, email funnel, or sales strategy, but a plan specific to you and your business. You’ll gain clarity on where your business is at, create a plan, you’ll know what to do and what to ignore, along with the resources you need. In the end, you will take that plan and implement, saving you thousands of dollars and years of headache.
A third way, and I know I only said two, but sometimes I can’t help myself. If you are feeling stuck and are in need of resources, reach out. I am happy to point you in the right direction and even provide an asset of my own to help you move forward.
Stephanie German is a business strategist, adjunct professor, and speaker. She holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership and loves giving back to her community in a variety of ways. When she’s not coaching clients or writing about leadership, Stephanie is usually headed to the mountains or the beach with her family, drinking savory wine, or working on the latest project with her husband. Stephanie’s greatest desires are to raise up the next generation of leaders while raising her own children to be strong, independent, and brave. She lives in Fresno, California with her husband Blake and her three spunky daughters, Cara, Kinsey, and Peyton. She is the best-selling author of So Your Boss Can’t Lead?