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3 Questions to Ask Before Your Next Strategy Session

 

Most strategy sessions fail before they even begin. 

We walk into the room with spreadsheets, revenue targets, and a list of things we want to change, but we often overlook the very thing that drives the results—our thinking.

If you are preparing to map out your next quarter or year, stop focusing on the "what" for a moment and ask these three questions to ensure your plan actually moves the needle.

1. Is this strategy built on “Shoulds” or “Wants”?

It is easy to build a plan based on what the industry expects or what you think a successful company should look like. But if the strategy isn't aligned with your actual internal drivers, you will eventually find yourself resisting your own plan.

When a goal is a "should," it feels like pushing a string up a hill. When it’s a "want," you find the natural flow. Before you commit to a direction, ask if it truly aligns with your purpose and your "Sweet Spot," or if you are simply performing a role.

2. Which “Controllable Lead” will we obsess over?

Strategy often dies under the weight of too many priorities. We focus on the Lag—the revenue, the profit, the growth—but the Lag is just the harvest. You can’t control the harvest once you’re in the field; you can only control the planting.

Identify the one or two Lead Actions that, if performed with total discipline, make the result inevitable. If you can’t name the specific, daily activity that drives your goal, you don’t have a strategy—you have a wish.

3. What is the “Hidden Brake” we haven’t named yet?

You can have the best plan in the world, but if the person executing it has their foot on the brake, the car isn’t going anywhere. These brakes are usually "below the waterline"—internal resistances like a fear of rejection, a need for perfection, or the "Impostor" that whispers you aren't ready for the next level.

When we talk about strategy, we usually think of external projects: launching a new website, hiring a partner, or upgrading a CRM. But some of the most profitable projects you can undertake are "internal." We call these Lift Projects in your thinking.

While a Lead Action is about maintaining momentum, a Lift Project is a mental shift that permanently upgrades your capacity. It might be finally dismantling the "hidden brake" of perfectionism or redefining your role from "doer" of tasks to "builder" of people. Once these cognitive shifts are completed, they provide a permanent lift to everything you touch—allowing you to achieve more without simply working more hours.

If you don’t name the internal obstacle, you’ll spend your whole strategy session trying to fix a tactical problem that is actually a psychological one.

Moving Beyond the Surface

Most leaders can see their goals, but very few can see their own blind spots. If you want to stop guessing and start measuring the thinking patterns that are holding you back, we invite you to take the next step.

What drives your behaviors? What will it take to achieve the success you desire?

Discover the hidden "Lift" opportunities in your own thinking and learn how to align your internal energy with your external goals with the ProAdvisorCoach MindScan™ Assessment.

Take the MindScan™ Assessment for Free and receive a complimentary coaching session to review the results (a $500 value)! Take the MindScan™ Free >>

Take the MindScan™ Assessment for free! >>

ProAdvisorCoach brings together the best of coaching and consulting to maximize people, innovation, and systems to achieve lasting transformation with sustained accelerated results.

#Leadership #BusinessStrategy #ExecutiveCoaching #Mindset #HighPerformance #StrategicThinking #GrowthMindset #SelfAwareness #LeadershipDevelopment #BusinessGrowth


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