What are we NOT going to do
the best part of our 2017 planning process was being clear about what we are NOT going to do
the best part of our 2017 planning process was being clear about what we are NOT going to do
A founder said this in a meeting the other day and I think it is exactly right. But, being curious and to make sure they highlighted it for the reasons I hoped, I asked why it was the best part and how it would change the way the company worked. Summary follows:
We are scaling quickly and attracting amazing talent — people who are ambitious and creative and highly motivated — this is a huge benefit, but coordinating their efforts to focus on initiatives that move the needle on company goals is critical. I want them to be creative and to try new things, but to do that within the context of advancing one of the annual goals for the business.
I found that clearly saying no to broad opportunities / potential growth areas up front saves me and my team the management tax of saying no to one off efforts throughout the year — and turns a small, frequent demotivator into a one time, motivating source of focus for the team.
We created a parking lot for good ideas that are “not now” so we don’t lose them and these projects can help inform and accelerate the road map when we are ready to pursue additional opportunities for growth.
The limited scope of focus at the company level has made it easier to align metrics/KPIs in each department or group with the company goals — and the green light process for all new initiatives has evolved from evaluating the absolute quality of the idea to a conversation that details the specific tie to the highest level company wide goals and debates the potential impact of the new project on our goals.
Be clear about what you are not going to do and align everyone at the company around what you need to do to win.