I’m preparing for a keynote at the CXO Summit, and with just 25 minutes on stage, I’ve been thinking carefully about which part of the Cadence Approach will be most valuable to the C-suite leaders in the room.
I’ve decided to focus on Prepare.
As we head into the final quarter of the year, many organisations are entering one of their busiest periods. There are targets to hit, projects to complete, budgets to finalise and plans for next year already competing for attention.
The instinct when things get busy is often to focus almost exclusively on what needs to be done. But there is another question leaders should be asking:
Are our people prepared for what we’re asking them to do?
Preparation is about more than planning
Most organisations are very good at preparing operationally. There will be forecasts, plans, deadlines, targets and priorities.
Preparing your people deserves the same attention.
Within the Cadence Approach, the ‘Prepare’ phase is about anticipating what is coming and getting yourself into the best possible position to meet it. At an organisational level, that means helping people understand where the periods of increased demand are likely to be, where the opportunities lie and when they will need to be at their best.
If there is a major launch, pitch, event, deadline or particularly demanding period coming up, do your people know about it?
More importantly, are you helping them arrive at that point with the energy and capacity to perform well?
What are you asking people to be ready for?
Leaders often have visibility that others in the organisation do not. You may already know where the pressure points of the next few months will be. Sharing that visibility can help people prepare. Or sitting down to map these moments together as a team.
Think about the quarter ahead. Where are the moments that really matter? When will you need your teams to bring their best thinking, decision-making, creativity or energy? Where could pressure build if it isn’t managed early?
Then consider what needs to happen now to help people to be prepared and meet those moments well.
Preparation might mean creating greater clarity around priorities. It might mean protecting capacity before an intense period, encouraging recovery after one, removing unnecessary demands or simply making sure everyone understands what is coming and why it matters.
Small interventions made early can have a big impact on results when they’re done consistently.
Leaders set the tone
There is another important part of preparation: role modelling.
If you want people to manage their energy, take recovery seriously and maintain sustainable ways of working during demanding periods, what are they seeing from their leaders?
Wellbeing cannot sit separately from performance, particularly when pressure increases. It needs to be part of how a high-performing environment operates.
That doesn’t mean removing pressure or avoiding ambitious goals. Business will always contain demanding periods, unexpected challenges and moments when more is required of us.
The aim is for your people to be prepared to meet those moments effectively, rather than allowing every busy period to become a test of endurance.
Finish the year strongly, not exhausted
There is an important distinction between getting to the end of the year having achieved what you wanted and getting there completely depleted. Sustainable high performance should allow for both results and recovery.
So, as you look at the final quarter, ask yourself:
- What are the biggest challenges and opportunities ahead?
- Do our people know when the important moments are coming?
- Are we creating the conditions for them to have the energy to perform when it matters?
- What behaviours are leaders role modelling?
- What could we do now that would make the next few weeks and months more sustainable?
These are big questions, but answering them before the pressure arrives can have a significant impact on how your people experience the months ahead and how your organisation performs.
Over the next month, I’ll be sharing more on the ‘Prepare’ phase, with practical ideas to help leaders and teams anticipate periods of pressure, manage energy and be ready for the moments that matter.
Because preparation isn’t simply about knowing what’s coming. It’s about making sure your people are ready for it.
Help your people to be prepared for the moments that matter
If your organisation is looking to build a high-performance culture where people can meet periods of pressure without running themselves into the ground, I can help.
Through my keynotes and masterclasses, I give leaders and teams practical tools to better manage their energy, anticipate pressure and prepare for the moments when they need to be at their best.
Get in touch to find out more about bringing the Cadence Approach to your organisation.
