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This is the time of year when leaders are naturally drawn to preparing for the productivity period that lies just ahead.

September through the first two weeks of November are the most productive times of the year, and fourth quarter is generally when company profits are finally determined.

What you do now will have significant impact on your success, whether personal or professional. It is the time to plan and prepare.

Six Strategic Questions

Here are six strategic questions to ask as you prepare for this next period of maximum productivity.

On track or off-track?

Review the numbers.

If you look at progress in days or weeks, you can miss the bigger picture. Based on short-term review, you may either think things are going very well or, conversely, that they are falling behind.

This is why it is important to operate strategically, whereby, periodically, you step back and look at the bigger picture. How are the numbers for the year? How do they compare to this time last year? What patterns do you see in customer or client behavior?

Based on the bigger picture, are the numbers on track or off-track?

Relevant or Irrelevant?

Review the objectives.

Look at the objectives and goals you set for the year. Are they still relevant, or do they need to be released? Given the speed of change in today’s business world, a regular review of goals and objectives for relevancy is definitely in order. With tight margins, it is necessary to jettison goals that no longer make sense in order to create tighter focus on those that do.

Achievable or Impossible?

Review the feasibility.

Objectives are often set at one level but achieved at another. Good leaders will work with their teams to determine feasibility. It is good to set stretch goals – they help the team and company grow. But setting impossible goals can lead to team burnout and frustration.

Communicate with your team to determine if the goals are achievable or impossible within the timeframe available. And keep in mind that communication is not only telling, but also listening. Working together ensures you reach aggressive goals without the frustration of failing to reach impossible goals.

Balanced or Overwhelmed?

Review the workload.

Next, review the workload of your team. It is natural that the load will shift over the course of a quarter, and you may end up with a few team members in overwhelm while others languish in borderline disengagement.

Review the workload to determine if load leveling is required. And do so with the idea of individual strengths in mind. For example, if your best salesperson is buried in administrative work, bring in your best administrative person to help with that portion of the workload. This not only yields a happier and more productive salesperson, but it also allows the administrator to shine in their strengths as well.

You can have one overwhelmed, underproductive salesperson; or you can have two highly productive and engaged employees, simply by reviewing the workload.

Orderly or Chaotic?

Review the environment.

Are things in order, or are they chaotic?

A natural degradation towards chaos happens toward the end of a quarter and at certain times of the year. This is normal. But you don’t want to carry that chaos into the start of the next phase.

You may notice a tendency in yourself or your team to want to clear away the clutter of the prior weeks. This is a good sign that they are getting ready for the upcoming season of high productivity.

It is challenging to achieve high productivity amid chaos, so be sure to give yourself and your team time to wrap up this phase of work and prepare for the next.

Defined or Unclear?

Review the communication.

Have you communicated clearly the goals for the remainder of the year? Did you define specific indicators of success?

Most teams will go to great lengths to reach goals that are clearly defined and with clear indicators of success. How you communicate with your team now sets the stage for your year-end success.

Action Steps

1. Schedule a time in the next week (or two at most), for strategic review.
2. Review each of the six areas and ask the relevant question that applies to each.
3. Communicate the results of your review with your team and give them time to prepare for the upcoming season of high productivity.

For valuable resources on Leadership Strengths and Tools, click here.

Deb Ingino is a highly sought-after executive coach, mentor, consultant, and speaker worldwide. Deb is well versed in business operations and in the importance of asking key questions most business leaders won’t ask themselves. She brings deep experience in leadership development, strategy, high performance team building and effective communication. She has a passion for leading people to discover and maximize their strengths as well as those of fellow team members, while offering advanced strategies to achieve high performance. Deb is the perfect fit if you’re ready to take your leadership and impact to the next level!