February 8, 2021

Your practice group has been enjoying modest growth.

 

The good news is, you are on par with the others around you at your firm. Big sigh of relief!

 

The bad news is, it’s not providing you and your team with any angle to shine – externally and internally.

 

You may find yourself losing talent because it’s all so, so, so (shall I say it?) unexciting, bland.

 

And your competition has started to waltz all over you.

 

Last year was rough – we all worked from home. Client opportunities didn’t materialize. Another client didn’t extend the master agreement, which we assumed to be “in the bank.” It was messy.

 

The partners in your group are still licking their wounds.

 

They even asked you to negotiate-down the overall targets for the new year – individually and for the group.

 

We all currently live through challenging times. It’s no different here.

 

Some of your competitors have come through this better

 

You say that you’ve done everything possible. That last year’s 0-something % was a “herculean” effort.

 

But look, zero-something % will do nothing for you.

 

Although it will make your more ambitious team members and partners wondering,

 

“Where is this going?”

 

Maybe you are a little complacent?

 

I know it seems to be the right time for you and your partners to wait it out and count your blessings.

 

But what if it was not the right time?

 

Perhaps now, during this heavy rainstorm, it’s the time to make a bold move, accelerate – and pass the others. Something you probably won’t be able to do in bright sunshine when the road is dry.

 

Think about it. What has to happen? How would you go about it?

 

Energize your practice group, the whole team with a stretch target

 

You say, “Ahh, you mean double-digit growth, right?”

 

No, I mean double last year’s revenue!

 

Ridiculous, I know.

 

But it will get you and your partners going. You start thinking beyond the obvious. It gets the juices flowing.

 

And you start to rethink your business, eliminate old barriers, services that haven’t added a lot, and you leave no stone unturned.

 

A target like that will allow you to step away from groupthink. It will enable you to walk away from complacency.

 

Because targets like it will require you to make choices – clear choices for what you will stop doing and what you will do instead or more of.

 

Where will you place your bets? What will you do exactly?

 

Think about it! Work at it!

 

Oh, and before I forget. Some of you may wonder and ask,

 

“Why on earth would we want to go after an ambitious target at all? Live is still pretty good around here!”

 

I don’t know.

 

Maybe because it’s fun, exciting? Perhaps it’s what you need right now? To break out again?

 

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