Putting It All Together

So what does all of this mean for your business? It means you have to project your planning out five years instead of 20, and you must update your strategic plans consciously and consistently; carefully measure results every 90 days; assign specific responsibilities to specific employees; and be willing to adapt to change regularly. Here's a quick overview:

Five-year goals provide trajectory mission targets but are much easier to set than 20-or 30-year goals. Brainstorming starts the process of goal-setting. After you've built a list of 50-plus potential goals, narrow the list to no more than five. To help select goals, use a Pain vs. Gain grid (below).

Ninety-day Actions focus on rolling up our sleeves and getting down to the nitty-gritty of getting things done. Specific actions are tied to one-year and, possibly, five-year goals. When the result for the 90-day period is being defined, it should be further broken down into actions that take a week or less to complete. This approach forces thought and focus on the front end. And this level of detail helps define interdependencies, clarifies resources, and creates a more accurate timeline.

Key Result Areas (KRAs) align team members with 90-day actions. KRAs define a detailed work plan, and, like any good goal, are measurable and tied to a date. While they require work, 90-day KRAs create clarity, definition of expectations, and, again, alignment with your mission.