A CAR’S DASHBOARD is a tool to monitor important gauges, alert us to potential problems and hopefully get us to take action. For example, a gas gauge tells us that we have one-eighth of a tank of gas and it’s time to fill up.
What about a leadership dashboard that monitors our priorities, alerts us to problems and then helps us get back on track?
At the start of our company’s fiscal year, I set three to five strategic goals with my boss for myself and my team,”
says Jenny, Director of Business Services.
Typically, every Sunday morning, she opens her leadership dashboard file which has those top goals and the specific action plans to accomplish them over the year. For each goal she:
- Rates 1 (low) to 10 (high) how effective she’s been the past week.
- Reviews the action plan: What steps got done, which ones didn’t.
- Develops insights: Potential problems, solutions, opportunities.
- Brainstorms additional action steps to add to the list.
- Identifies actions steps for the coming week.
She finishes by creating a list of high priority action for each of the strategic goals. She’s well aware she may come in Monday and a crisis will take over. However, she knows that she has a plan and will work that plan as best as she can during the week.
What are Your Main Things?
Does your leadership, on a daily basis, align with those main things? A leadership dashboard helps you to know at a glance if you’re right on track, totally off track or somewhat side tracked. It allows you stay focused, stay accountable, stay aligned.
Smart Moves Tip
If you’re on the right track, then continue moving forward (but don’t get too over-confident!).If you side tracked, then you may need to make a course correction to quickly get focused back on your goals.
However, if you’re totally off track, determine what’s going on and take action.
- Is it your goals – are they SMART?
- Is it your team who may not be aligned, engaged or accountable?
- Or is it perhaps your leadership?
- Do your emotional and social intelligence skills need a tune up or an overhaul?
What do you think of this process? Does anyone have a different kind of system to keep you on track? Comments are welcome!
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If you do what you always did, you will get what you always got. Therefore, MOVE outside of your comfort zone; thats where the MAGIC happens.” To bring that magic to your leadership and business, subscribe to Marcias monthly Execubrief: Business Edge Smart Growth Strategies with a insights, inspiration and intelligence on how to build great businesses that matter those that do well and do good.
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This is good advice. I like the steps you listed. One thing I repeat to myself when things do go as well as planned is “A setback doesn’t mean a stay back.” That works for me and I can see where your steps would facilitate the next action.
Thank you Jane. I like your way of dealing with things that don’t go as planned with the comment “A setback doesn’t mean a stay back”. I’m going to write that down and refer to it when things go haywire in my life.