By Scott O’Hehir

The transition between financial years is always a busy few months at Checkside.

For clients running on a July-June planning and financial year, this is the time when we work with them to review the year that was and plan for the year ahead.

The COVID-19 pandemic has served up an operating environment that is more volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous than most in recent memory.

It is clear from the annual strategic planning sessions I have facilitated this year that companies with high accountability cultures are navigating these challenging times best.

Here are a few highlights from the 10+ sessions I’ve facilitated this period:

This got me thinking – what did these high accountability companies do that set them apart from the rest of the pack?

Reflecting on this question in recent days, the following four factors stood out…

1. They have leaders who are self-aware and dedicate time to strategic thinking and personal/professional development

2. They have an appropriate operating system for their company size, stage of growth and culture

3. They have a clear, simple strategy and measurable KPIs and objectives

4. They operate with a high-performance mindset

The good news is that all of the above are within reach of business owners and executives who are willing to put in the work. That means investing the time and resources to diagnose the particular type of chaos that your company is looking to manage now and/or avoid in future as it grows. The key is then to ensure that initiatives aimed at increasing accountability (and in turn high performance) are appropriately planned, executed, embedded or maintained.

To find out more about how Checkside helps companies implement High Performance Operating Systems please click here, here or here.