We are heading into our first annual planning session with you. How does the structure, timing, and emotional energy of this two day annual session differ from our standard quarterly sessions?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

The quarterly session is about focus, execution, and adjusting the sails for the next ninety days. The annual planning session is entirely different. It is a two day experience focused on team health, long term vision, and deep strategic alignment.

During day one of our annual session, we focus heavily on the health of your leadership team. We assess your collective strengths and run deep exercises to build trust. We review the high level performance of the business over the past year and identify the major lessons learned.

On day two, we pivot to the future. We review and refine your V/TO®, looking out three, five, or ten years. We challenge your Core Values and your Core Focus to ensure they still serve as the guardrails for your growth. We then establish your budget, set your one year plan, and lock in your Rocks for the first quarter of the new year.

The emotional energy of an annual session is much higher because we are asking you to step out of the daily weeds entirely. We require you to take a strategic pause from operations. This space is necessary to think deeply about the future of your company and to ensure that your leadership team is completely aligned for the climb ahead.