In any organization, the time and effort dedicated to processes—both internal and external—are significant, and for good reason. These processes are the backbone that allow us to create and deliver the value our organization strives for. When we think of a successful organization that we admire, we often see the successful outcomes of their processes. It’s like witnessing the beautiful fruits of a tree from afar; while the fruits capture our attention, we must remember that they thrive thanks to the supportive trunk(People) and roots(Core Values), which connect them to a solid foundation(Purpose).
To truly create and deliver value to customers, organizations must excel in their external processes. However, each organization is so unique that this discussion will focus on internal processes, which share commonalities across optimized organizations. Our processes are designed around fundamental human needs for certainty, significance, and growth and revolve around natural human time cycles.
Balancing Tactical and Strategic Meetings
We categorize our framework for meetings into tactical and strategic. Tactical meetings focus on short-term planning and immediate actions, often held daily or weekly. These meetings align with our natural circadian rhythms, as well as our culturally induced weekly schedules. To ensure that our meetings are efficient and productive, we separate strategic discussions from tactical planning. Strategic planning meetings, which occur on a quarterly and annual basis, provide a dedicated time to discuss long-term goals and the organization’s overarching vision.
The 90-day cycle, or quarterly timeframe, is especially effective for short-term goal setting and achievement. It strikes a balance that keeps our attention focused while allowing time to address important tasks that may not be urgent. Human engagement tends to wane beyond 90 days, making it a strategic time to revisit our goals and align them with our longer-term objectives.
During our annual strategic planning meetings, we take a deep dive into our vision and mission to ensure continued connection with our purpose. This is when we set and reevaluate our long-term goals on trajectories of 1, 3, and 25 years. The one-year goals address immediate needs, while three-year goals are preferable over five-year goals because they demand near-term action. According to Dan Sullivan of Strategic Coach, the 25-year goals establish a framework for lofty aspirations, shaping a direction for our activities while allowing flexibility in achieving many of those goals sooner than anticipated.
Accountability and Empowerment
In our organization, we view accountability and responsibility as delegation with stewardship—an idea championed by Stephen Covey—as crucial for achieving our goals. This concept involves delegating ownership of tasks to team members, complete with clear expectations and the necessary resources to succeed. An essential part of this process is ensuring a feedback loop exists to create structures of accountability and consequences.
We implement quarterly performance reviews, initiated by a self-evaluation form completed by each team member. This reflection not only identifies individual contributions to the organization (boosting their sense of significance) but also highlights areas for growth. Such practices are vital for ensuring that our team members remain aligned with our purpose and processes.
Conclusion
While there are countless specifics regarding effective meetings and performance measurement that are unique to every organization, adopting this framework helps align our internal processes with fundamental human needs and tendencies. This approach will foster an optimal environment for running a successful organization.
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