They iterated the specifics until that growth plan fit on a single piece of paper. They distributed this one-page growth plan to each employee so everyone understood where the business was going and not going in the next year. That entrepreneur understood the dual function of strategic planning: it not only prioritizes what the business should focu

Discipline 2: Create Clarity — Members of the leadership team know, agree on, and are passionate about the reason that the organization exists. — The leadership team has clarified and embraced a small, specific set of behavioral values. — Leaders are clear and aligned around a strategy that helps them define success and differentiate from competito

The annual sets the strategic direction and priorities for the year and beyond. • The quarterly breaks these longer-term priorities into bite-sized priorities that the company can digest. • The monthly addresses the bigger issues or opportunities that surface around the strategic direction. • The weekly keeps the priorities top-of-mind and drives d

If the CEO paints a compelling vision and makes fast, high-quality decisions, can she then get the company to execute her vision? The first ingredient in being able to do this is leadership, as I outlined in the section “Follow the Leader.”