January often feels like standing at the starting line of a marathon.
You can see the course, and you know the finish line is out there—but you only get there one mile at a time, and the first decision is pace. There’s excitement mixed with pressure. Momentum feels urgent. Everyone is asking: What’s the plan? What are the goals? How fast can we move?
We watched one of our clients experience this firsthand during their annual planning session last year.
During the planning session, the whiteboards filled quickly with initiatives, KPIs, and priorities stacked on top of one another. Everything mattered. Everyone had a metric.
Then the CEO paused, stepped back, and said:
“If we try to sprint every mile, we won’t finish strong.”
That moment changed the conversation.
Instead of adding more, they erased. They simplified. They chose three measurable priorities that truly mattered.
Over the year that followed, something shifted:
- Meetings became clearer
- Decisions became easier
- Accountability became shared
Momentum followed clarity.
Clarity doesn’t slow you down.
It sharpens your aim.
That’s why we created a simple tool to help leaders start the year focused.