Winning the Quarter with ONE Thing
On the first day of a fresh calendar quarter, it’s easy to be excited about new plans (fresh planner pages!), exciting projects, and big goals. And why not?!
We’re big advocates for quarterly strategic planning. Working in a 90-day world instead of thinking in terms of annual planning means you generally have enough time to make great progress toward your big goals, and also get a chance to work in a short enough burst that you can maintain your momentum through the period.
The challenge, though, is to make sure you’ve narrowed your focus to an achievable number of projects and goals for the quarter. That short 90-day period can be a huge boost to your ability to advance – but only if you don’t pack it too full of competing priorities.
The ADVOS approach to Quarterly Strategic Planning follows a tried-and-true framework:
- Picture your PROmance (What do you want your practice to look like?)
- Identify the Gaps (Where is your current reality missing the mark?)
- Choose the ONE Thing (What one priority will you focus on addressing to get closer to your goal?)
- Execute with Accountability (What actions will you take to address your priority, and how will you track progress and hold yourself accountable?)
- Celebrate, Learn and Repeat (At the end of each cycle, celebrate your progress, learn from your experience, and start the cycle again.)
Yes, you did read that correctly – we’d encourage law firm owners to choose just ONE initiative or issue to focus on each quarter. (You’ll still have goals for your key metrics / KPIs throughout the firm – but when it comes to a thing you need to fix, or build, or figure out – choose ONE.)
That’s because we want you to be successful, to stay healthy, and to have the capacity to continue delivering the legal and day-to-day work of the firm. In our Quarterly Strategic Planning Workshops (included as part of our Accelerator membership), we often spend a fair amount of time pushing Accelerator members to be ruthless about choosing just one strategic project to focus on. It’s hard to do, and a bit uncomfortable, but SO incredibly worth it.
Choosing the ONE Thing means you’re much more likely to get it done, and to do it well – all while enjoying your work and your life so much more than if you force yourself to overwork or set yourself up to fail.
So, if you’re staring at a fresh set of planner pages as we start the new quarter (or even if you’ve already filled yours out), I’d challenge you to be ruthless with your list – pick just ONE project to be your focus. And if you’re feeling bold, or want some accountability, jump into the ADVOSphere (our free private community for lawyers and law firm owners) to let us know what you’ve chosen. We can’t wait to cheer you on, and see what you can accomplish!
For those of you whose Q4 2024 goals are tied to marketing, technology or efficiency (or even if they aren’t, but you could use some CLE and some camaraderie), I hope you’ll also join us for Off the Clock – Live! We’re gathering like-minded lawyers for an afternoon of CLE focused on those topics (and happy hour, because community and fun are key!) in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL on November 14, 2024. Get your ticket here (early bird pricing is in effect if you buy now), and we’ll see you there!
To your #PROmance!
Whitney