At least once a quarter I try to step away from the hustle and bustle of work to think more reflectively and strategically about where things are going.
The reality is that there is a lot of stuff that isn’t under our own control. And yet most of us are hard at work with our eyes down, just dedicated on execution.
While this is good, we can miss what’s changing around us.
So taking a step away, a step back, allows us to see the rest of the dynamics at play and reevaluate our initial assumptions and previous strategies.
When I step back, I ask the following questions:
- What are we doing that we should stop doing?
- What are we doing that others have stopped doing?
- What should we be doing that we’re not?
- Are there changes (regulatory, trend, competitive) in our context we need to react to?
- How have our predictions for the future changed and what should we change in our own plans because of it?
- Are there folks who need to be challenged more?
- Are there folks that need more rest?
- Are there projects we should re-start?
- Are there projects or partnerships we should change?
As you think about these things without the daily dynamics of email, meetings and calls, you can make better choices and more proactive choices about your future and how you’re leading you team.