The Right Rhythm For Your Business

I recently led a session for a group of entrepreneur’s at MIT’s Endicott House Training Center.  The session was part of the Entrepreneur’s Organization Advanced Business Program.  This unique learning lab was conceived and is coordinated by Verne Harnish.  Verne has been named one of the "Top 10 Minds in Small Business" by Fortune Small Business Magazine.  He and his business, Gazelle's Inc. focus all their time and energy supporting small businesses become bigger, more profitable, and more effective.

I led a session on “Solving Unsolvable Problems” at the ABP using a combination of Polarity Management and Real Time Strategic Change
principles and tools.  In Verne’s book, The Rockefeller Habits, he points to the importance of what he calls “rhythms of the business.”
These “rhythms” provide much-needed stability in the businesses he deals with everyday – those undergoing fast-paced growth. 

Jake and Verne at MIT

In my work with some very large corporations, they have also used something
similar to this “rhythms of the business” approach, but I think in a different way.  Verne identifies five kinds of connections to held at distinct intervals:

• Daily Huddles:  Quick 5 minute check in’s on a focus for the day
• Weekly Problem Solving Meetings: 1-2 hour working sessions aimed at identifying and resolving business problems (or after my session, identifying and managing key polarities as well)
• Monthly Development Sessions:  Half-day learning gatherings with specific links to skills and knowledge required to grow the business
• Quarterly Strategy Reviews:  Longer “deep dives” around how existing strategies are positioning the firm for growth and any course corrections that need to be made
• Annual Strategic Planning Meetings:  Multiple day retreats where the past year is assessed and the coming one planned

At face value, these seem pretty straight-forward.  Your organization might have a similar list.  The unique view Verne is that he recommends varying the frequency of each of the meetings based on the amount of growth (I’ll add “change”) you’re experiencing.

Annual strategic planning meetings might be better held quarterly if market changes demand.  Sometimes it’s even necessary to let go of the annual planning calendar and do major strategy work before budget timelines dictate.

Here is what Verne had to say about the session I led:

Radical change requires radical stability -- Robert "Jake" Jacobs was our first presenter in the Advanced Business Program I chaired up at MIT. He explained "why" the Rockefeller Habits of meeting rhythms and quarterly themes are so important. They provide a kind of stability that most employees need if they are to deal with the change leaders of growth firms are often thrusting onto their organizations. This is why it's said "if you want to move faster, pulse faster." The more you change, the more stability you need.

Some questions for you to consider:  What kinds and how much change is your organization experiencing right now?  How much stability does that mean you need to create—and what do you have in place right now to do that?  Finally, what else do you need to put in place -- standard meeting schedule or otherwise – that will create the stability you (or your people) need?