Your Quarterly/Annual Planning Might Cost More Than You Think

Quarterly or annual planning sessions are in full swing —?and I love it! ????

I won't mince words: These sessions are critical, but many companies incur hidden costs by skimping on meeting planning and execution.

I get it:

• We’re all busy — it takes a lot to put in extra time preparing for a planning session.
• We only know what we know — most of us aren’t trained facilitators and lack the full skill set needed for great facilitation.
• We don't get much value from planning meetings — why invest in something that won’t deliver results?

If your company faces any of these challenges, your planning sessions may be costing you more than you realize.

4 Hidden Costs from Quarterly or Annual Planning Sessions:

1. Biased Opinions are Holding You Back

Cost: Internal discussions without external moderation often result in decisions clouded by office politics and personal agendas, derailing your strategy.

Solution: Cut through distractions and focus on what matters—your long-term goals and growth. Using a professional facilitator with an unbiased perspective leads to clearer, more focused outcomes that are better for the business.

2. Your Team Goes Off Track

Cost: Teams can waste hours in planning sessions that go off-topic or fail to produce actionable outcomes, draining resources and morale.

Solution: A facilitator is trained to keep your team on task, maximizing productivity and leading to clear, actionable results.

3. Your Strategy Stalls

Cost: It's easy to brainstorm big ideas, but without a concrete action plan, those ideas often fizzle out, wasting time and money. If your planning sessions don’t produce results, this may sound familiar.

Solution: Turn strategy into action —?it's essential to have a roadmap of actionable steps, complete with timelines and accountability, so strategy turns into results. If you leave the meeting without a completed roadmap, you're going nowhere, fast.

4. You Don't Account For Company Culture

Cost: Neglecting culture during strategic planning sessions leads to disengaged employees and can foster toxic work environments, increasing turnover and hurting morale. When your people aren't happy, your business suffers.

Solution: Culture is critical. Prioritizing culture-building in your planning process improves morale and fosters a more cohesive, engaged workforce. Do you have a plan to incorporate your culture with your planning sessions?

?? 4 more ways I see businesses incur hidden planning costs?

They'll be hitting inboxes tomorrow.

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