7 Questions Every Leader Must Answer To Set Winning Quarterly Objectives

Read Time: 3 minutes.

If you missed our last playbook on running a Quarterly Business Review, please check that out first.

Getting your arms around "What's true" is more critical than choosing how you'll deal with that reality.

The value of solving the wrong problem perfectly is quite low.

Meanwhile, an okay solution to the right problem is progress.

Once we have a high-resolution picture of the present, we can focus on the future.

"What to do about it."

I rely on these 8 questions to determine my optimal Quarterly Forward Plan.

1. Does anything really need to change?

If you inherited a struggling team, chances are a lot needs to change.

And the newer and more immature your team's function, the more likely you'll need material adjustments.

But humans have a nasty habit of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

We set aside what's working because it's become routine, mundane, and boring and chase novel, exciting, and unproven ideas. Shiny object syndrome is real.

Reminder: Figuring out what works is the whole point of work.

2. Are any of my previous assumptions worth revising?

The world changes. AI anyone?

And mistakes are only helpful if we learn from them. This is the moment to pause and ask which limiting belief no longer serves you and your team.

Many leaders will tell me they don't want to be seen as indecisive.

I promise, your team would rather you be fickle vs insane.

Because doing the same thing and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.

3. How could we aim dramatically (2x, 5x, 10x higher)?

The problem with looking backward is it's anchored in all of your previous assumptions.

These implied limits pull down your gaze from a solution that's more creative.

Set them aside for a minute and identify ways to shoot much, much higher.

Tip: Avoid incrementalism here (tweaks should be rooted in your real problems).

4. What does winning look like?

Solve backward from success.

• What are your targets?

• How will qualitative goals be assessed?

• Do you know which goals are more important than others?

By richly painting this picture for yourself, some of the problems from your QBR will be most important. Some will be irrelevant.

Tip: Identify the key obstacles and address them early (or learn you can't).

5. What are the 3 best options for addressing my biggest problems/opportunities?

I've already decided what my biggest problems/opportunities are.

Now, I need to call my shot at addressing them.

I force myself to find at least 3 ways to handle them.

I write them out. I sharpen them.

But I don't pick.

Why?

Once I have the whole picture in front of me, I often find that I can uncover solutions that address multiple problems.

And ideas from one area can inform solutions in another.

I also haven't stated...

6. What principles will I use to decide?

If you agree on the principles, the solutions tend to make themselves obvious.

If you transact at the solution level, deciding devolves into a debate that's usually resolved through authority or power instead of merit.

Decide what's truly important to you.

For example, in our last QBR, we agreed that these two principles would govern our decisions:

• Half as much. Twice as well.

• Spend 80% of our time in our "Zone of Genius."

These two principles sharpened which commitments would be most important and quickly eliminated many others.

7. Is there no-regrets "low-hanging fruit?"

I've been surprised, but there are often obvious improvements my team should make that are:

• Relatively low effort (less than a week)

• Remarkably high value

• With no real tradeoffs

Plus, simply committing to them simplifies the set of options that require careful consideration.

Tip: When you uncover these solutions, just do them. They tend to be things that streamline or automate broken processes and will yield compounding benefits. Sooner is better.

8. Do I have the people I need to get it all done?

You don't need the perfect team (you'll be surprised how people can step up).

But you also can't win if you're dramatically short on the expertise or capacity your plan requires.

Tip: Don't let your current team keep you from doing what's necessary. Look for creative ways to "rent" supplemental talent.

You'll further your conviction around necessary changes or buy down risk without undermining your team.

What You Missed

Here’s what you missed from me on LinkedIn:

• Simple Habits of High-Performing Teams

• Stop Overcomplicating Good Management

• Why Leaders Should Try New Things (w/ my mediocre surfing)

Here’s what you missed from me on X/Twitter (and thank you to the now 100K leaders who have been part of that journey):

• Impatient With Action. Patient With Results.

• Painful Lessons Every Team Learns

• Biggest Mistakes Managers Make

I was also featured in Growth in Reverse. It’s an impressive piece, given I wasn’t even interviewed. If you want a window into our 2.5-year journey of creating this business, check it out.

Thank you for reading. Appreciate you!

Dave