Use Quarterly Strategic Review & Resets to Drive Team Success

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." 

For years, I thought this quote was Einstein’s. Possibly, you thought so, too? In writing this, I discovered it was actually a Civil Rights Campaigner, Rita Mae Brown. See, sometimes we get into a groove of doing, acting and thinking about things in a certain way. We fail to question where what we’re doing might be wrong.

Many of us, with the best intentions, set goals at the beginning of the year to keep us on track, motivate us to be better, achieve more, and focus on what matters. We attempt this professionally, too. But often, as the months fly by, we forget to check in, adjust, and realign our strategies to ensure we actually hit them.

That’s the power of a quarterly review. Heck, any review, for that matter.

Like a pitstop in a Formula One race, we must stop in at least once around the track to tune up and choose the right tyres to set us up for success on the next leg. Yet, so many of us wait until too late in the race, where we’re sliding all over the place, to commit to the pit.

In 2017, I attended an event that transformed my life and taught me to commit to the pit. Before that, I’d, under duress, set goals but avoided making them too ambitious. In mandatory PDP processes, I’d set targets that felt safe and achievable rather than inspiring.

My reason was two-fold:

1. I was afraid to let myself down or underperform. By keeping the bar low, I could stay pretty confident I could hit it.

2. I knew things would change, situations would evolve, and goals previously set would likely fade in relevance.

Goal setting is not a one-and-done thing.

• We often confuse the strategy with the goal itself.

• We cling to outdated strategies instead of adapting to new realities.

• Without regular check-ins, we fail to see what is and isn’t working.

If we’re not careful, annual processes lock us into mediocre goals, ineffective strategies, and disappointment.

Checking in and reassessing is not a "should," it’s a "must."

Not because there’s some mid-year check-in with your boss but because doing so sets you up for success.

According to the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD), regularly checking progress towards goals increases the likelihood of success by 25%.

This stat changed my approach.

Google knows this.

Their OKR (Objectives and Key Results) methodology is credited with being instrumental in their success. Intel also saw remarkable improvements in company-wide alignment and productivity after implementing OKRs.

Great leaders recognize the importance of regularly checking in and reassessing their goals.

They know that a quarterly review process allows them to consciously evaluate progress in the context of everything else happening around them. It’s a chance to ask, "Is this goal still relevant and motivating? Does my strategy need to change to ensure success?”

The best leaders encourage their team to do it, too, and the very best do it with their team.

Here are additional stats from the ASTD that changed my approach to goals:

So, how can you implement quarterly reviews to drive your team’s success?

Here are 5 ideas:

1. Lead by Example: If you want your team to set and check their goals, then focus first on ensuring you’re doing this yourself. Share it.

2. Schedule Regular Check-Ins: Set aside time every quarter for a thorough review with yourself and your team. This dedicated time helps ensure you stay on track and make necessary adjustments.

3. Reflect & Reset: Encourage your team to reflect on what’s working, what’s not, and what needs to change. Often, we can learn more from what isn’t working than what is, but not if we don’t actually do it.

4. Try Using OKRs: Implement the Google-famous OKR framework to set and track progress on ambitious but achievable goals.

5. Try Tony’s Ultimate Success Formula: Set clear goals, develop strategies, take action, evaluate success or failure, and use feedback to adjust your strategy.

Often, we are so busy with the day-to-day operations and the endless to-do lists that we think we don’t have time to check-in. But a review is an investment. The F1 driver who takes too long to switch tyres will face the consequences on the leaderboard down the road. Time spent pit-stopping – a quick R&R – is far outweighed by the clarity, motivation, and strategic alignment they provide. Regular check-ins prevent small issues from becoming big problems, saving time and resources down the line.

Strategic quarterly reviews and resets are powerful tools for driving team success.

They provide a necessary respite to adjust one’s strategy, to celebrate what’s working, and to re-galvanise for future success.

By taking a structured approach, like Tony Robbins' ultimate success formula or Google’s OKR framework, you can help both you and your team remain focused, motivated, and on track to achieve your objectives.

Click the above image for details and to get the Quarterly R&R kit

So, given that the next quarter milestone is close upon us, I want to invite you to join me LIVE for a 90-minute interactive FREE Strategic Quarterly R&R workshop. In this session, I’ll be walking you through my strategic quarterly review process.

Plus, grab your spot today, and we'll send you our Quarterly R&R kit right away.

Don’t miss this free opportunity to set yourself and your team up for success in what’s left of the year ahead!