We hear it often … it’s a marathon; not a sprint.  And that’s partly true. 

Building a business is a marathon, but it’s ran in sprints. Chunking out what needs to get done brings focus and energy to the priorities that will move the needle the most.

And in order to continue building a profitable business for the long-haul, it’s central that leaders and team members consistently gather wins along the way.  

Collecting little wins on the path to the big WIN requires positive momentum.  More wins equals more momentum.

Positive momentum propels us … our confidence goes through the roof …. we feel like Michael Jordan and every shot we take is nothing but net. 

Negative momentum is the exact opposite … missing shots left and right … the crowd is boo-ing … and our self-talk rivals the trash talk on the court.

If you’re self-soothing from a negative momentum trip … don’t worry … there’s a process for restoring positive momentum.

But the higher level goal is to generate and consistently maintain positive momentum.  Instead of vacillating between positive and negative.  Which is kind of like losing and gaining the same 10lbs again-and-again … self-defeating.

Building a business 90-days at a time is the recipe for consistently generating positive momentum. And it prevents false starts, burnout, and overwhelm. 

Here’s how the 90-day structure works:

One. Quarterly Planning Session

The decision-making leadership team spends one-day away from the office to:

• Review successes and challenges of the previous 90-days
• Discuss what is and isn’t working within the organization
• Re-align with Vision, Mission, Values, and Strategic Initiatives
• Perform a SWOT Analysis 
• Evaluate team members to ensure the right people are in the right seats
• Address issues and identify solutions 
• Establish the 3-5 priorities for the next 90-days
• Assign clear ownership for everything that needs to get done 
• Apply key metrics for tracking results 
• Initiate communication to additional team members to keep everyone on the same page

When done successfully, after a Quarterly Planning Session, all leaders and team members have clear marching orders and are feeling super excited and confident to get to work.

Two. Taking Massive Action with Accountability

Now, here’s where the winning starts! The Quarterly Planning Session is the set-up and what happens each day for the next 90-days is where the rubber meets the road.

First, leadership must create an environment for success.  Giving each team member access to the tools, technologies, teammates, resources, and feedback necessary to own their part of the 3-5 priorities.

Next, there needs to be weekly touch points on the calendar that are committed to.  Checking in at the end of the 90-days is not good enough.

People get stuck … Leaders get overwhelmed … Visionary’s get distracted with the next big idea … and the list goes on. 

So, during these check-ins, leaders and team members are sharing what they’re working on, and whether they’re on track or not.  If not, then diving into where they’re stuck and helping to get things back on track.  

It’s important to remember that strong leaders develop strong teams.  Strong leaders don’t hover or micro-manage … they put the right people in the right seats, set a clear direction, provide tools and resources and then let people own their duties.  

When done well … leaders are inspired, teams are motivated, results are consistent, and this positive energy is a magnet for business growth.

And then it’s just … Rinse, Lather, Repeat every 90-days.  Sprinting our way to a marathon!