Check Progress: A Key Leadership Step Entering the Final Quarter by Cindy Stradling CSL, CPC
As the year moves into its final stretch, business leaders face a crucial opportunity to pause and assess. Checking progress on your most important programs now allows you to make sure that all your efforts remain aligned with your goals – and to make the necessary adjustments before the year is over. This thoughtful review can be the difference between ending the year strong or falling short.
Why Checking Progress Matters
Leadership requires more than just setting a plan and hoping for the best. Today’s business environment is dynamic – customer needs change all the time, markets shift, and unforeseen challenges often arise. A progress check is a great way to:
- Measure actual results against expectations
- Identify roadblocks that are slowing you down
- Highlight areas where resources can be better deployed
- Stay responsive to external changes that impact your goals
Without such a review, you risk continuing with ways of doing things that no longer yield the desired outcomes or missing a chance to change course in order to capture new opportunities.
How to Effectively Assess Any Program
Start by gathering all the relevant data and feedback. This process can, for example, include reviewing important performance indicators tied to your program’s success, such as sales numbers, project milestones, operational efficiencies, and customer satisfaction scores.
Engaging with your teams is just as important. Those on the ground often have critical insights into what’s working and what isn’t – and where unexpected challenges lie.
When you compare this information to your original goals, ask yourself:
- Are we on track to meet these goals?
- What obstacles have since emerged?
- Have any unexpected market or internal changes affected our priorities?
- Can we reallocate our resources or adjust timelines to improve results?
By carefully considering these questions, you will get a much better understanding of whether modifications are needed – and if so, what kind of adjustments will be the most effective.
Engaging Leadership and Moving Forward
Involving your leadership team in the review process helps to generate valuable dialogue as well as a sense of shared ownership. Team discussions can lead to well-rounded decisions about e.g. changing strategies, tightening your focus, or expanding the scope of a project. Being fully transparent with all stakeholders about any changes also helps to keeps them motivated and build trust.
Remember, adjustments don’t always have to be drastic. Sometimes even a small change in the approach or distribution of resources can have a significant impact on outcomes. The goal is to remain flexible while staying committed to your broader vision.
Conclusion: Embrace the Opportunity
Entering the final quarter with a clear picture of the progress (or lack thereof) a program is making is a hallmark of strong leadership. It enables you to act with confidence, make effective adjustments, and rally your team around a focused path forward.