Massaker.Me

#1 Protect Your Business From Disasters

#2 Document Business Processes

# 3 Backup Data Off Site

#4 Write a Business Continuity Plan

#5 Test Your Business Continuity Plan

Test Your Business Continuity Plan Once a Quarter

• Make drills as realistic as possible
  1. Do not announce drills except to key management (and to them only if you need to)
  2. Address how employees that are in the middle of dealing with a client issue should react
  3. Go through as much of the actions in the plan as possible

• Can you become fully operational as fast as you need to?
  1. Where are the kinks and holes in your plan?

#1 Protect Your Business From Disasters

#2 Document Business Processes

# 3 Backup Data Off Site

#4 Write a Business Continuity Plan

Write the Plan

First Response

• What are the first steps that you take when disaster strikes?
  1. Call local authorities (where are those numbers documented?)
  2. Call your insurance company
  3. Call your management team with the news and plan going for, who in turn disseminate this information to their staff
  4. Inform clients of the disaster and how long you anticipate being down
  5. Inform vendors of the disaster. Stop or reroute shipments as needed.
  6. Notify the post office and commercial couriers such as FedEx and UPS of alternate delivery locations

Communications

• Telephone
  1. Where will the main line forward?
  2. Do you have an employee contact lists stored off site? How quickly can you access that information?
  3. Do you have a client contact lists stored off site? How quickly can you access that information?
  4. Do you have a vendor contact lists stored off site? How quickly can you access that information?
  5. How can you replicate the phone system quickly after disaster? Some options might include:
     • Going with a managed PBX
     • Going with a call center that can route calls
     • Have your telephone line provider forward to a home or mobile phone

Email

• Setup email archival (see #3)
• Setup email sand bagging with an alternate MX record with secondary priority in the DNS zone for your company’s domain name. (the record that tells the Internet where to send email for your domain, i.e. mail.yourbiz.com – an usual alternate might be mail2.yourbiz.com). I strongly suggest professional help with this.
• How will user email client software (Outlook) connect to an alternate email source?

New Work Place

• Alternate Network Infrastructure (definitely seek the help of a professional IT person here)
  1. Do you have access to spare servers or can you lease some from a datacenter?
  2. What computers will end users use? Their own? How will they access data.
  3. How will information security be addressed in disaster mode?

Alterations in Business Processes

1. Address any deviations needed from standard business processes due to the event

#1 Protect Your Business From Disasters

#2 Document Business Processes

# 3 Backup Data Off Site

Server Image Backups

1. Use disk-based, sector level snapshot software, such as Acronis TrueImage for server backup.
2. Backup to external eSATA or USB hard drives which are rotated out to an off site location weekly. Keep at least 2 weeks (2 drives) off site at all times (because if you are transporting one and you get in a wreck, you still have the older one at the off site location – plus it never hurts to have a spare)
3. Perform restore checks on drives before taking off site. Make sure that you can restore individual files and mount virtual images

Online Backup

1. Supplement Server Image Backups with ongoing incremental Online Backup to ensure all data is current when you perform a restore. This would be just for files and small databases.

Off Site Replication

1. Setup another server in a co-location center or even the business owner’s home, to act as a file replication server. You’ll need to have a point-to-point virtual private network (VPN) between the locations. This will allow you to access all critical files within seconds of a disaster.

Email Archival Services

1. Enroll into an email archival service, such as Postini. Many industries are required to archive email anyway, such as financial planning firms. Notice that I said service, vs. archiving on a server – which obviously is useless if a disaster happens.

#1 Prevent Disasters

#2 DOCUMENT & DIGITIZE BUSINESS PROCESSES  & INFORMATION

Organizational Chart & Succession Plan

1. If any senior management are seriously injured or die, you’ll want a clear succession plan of who is in charge first and foremost.

Accounting

1. Document things like data entry standards, AR & AP processes, inventory control, payroll processes, tax procedures, compliance, etc.
2. Document and secure passwords to accounting software and vendor web sites.
3. Digitize all accounting related documents so that they can be backed up off site (especially a copy of all of your insurance policies)
4. Make sure that you have online bill pay (you paper checks are most likely destroyed)

Operations

1. Document specific business processes. If you sell product, document the supply chain. If you document services, document the service delivery process.
2. Document and secure passwords to operations software and vendor web sites.
3. Digitize all operations related documents so that they can be backed up off site

Human Resources

1. Document human resources processes specific to your business. Consult with a HR consultant to assist you with this.
2. Document and secure passwords to human resources software and vendor web sites.
3. Digitize all human resources related documents and records so that they can be backed up off site

Marketing

1. Digitize all marketing related documents so that they can be backed up off site. Since this will often be art work which can create large files, a once per month archive might be sufficient (unless you’re a marketing company)

Sales

1. Document your sales process(s) and any sales automation.
2. Digitize all sales related documents such as templates, contract and proposals so that they can be backed up off site

#1  PREVENT DISASTER

Earthquake

1. This is the hardest disaster to plan for and the most expensive. To prevent it, don’t work in an earthquake prone area. Odds are you won’t have the budget to “harden” your office like many data centers in earthquake prone regions.
2. Make sure that off site /online backups are in another state, several states from your home state.
3. If possible, run as much of the business as possible through cloud based services and applications that servers in safe regions of the country. This can mitigate a substantial amount of risk to the IT infrastructure and operational up time.

Fire

1. Have fire extinguishers checked and charged annually as needed.
2. Make sure that your have proper fire suppression systems in your server room. (Water is obviously not ideal, as are most common fire extinguishers)
3. If you carry a lot of inventory, consult a professional on the best plan of action

Flood

1. Make sure that no computers sit directly on the floor. At least 1’ high is recommended.
2. Server rooms should not have any overhead water pipes
3. Make sure that your office is on upper floors and/or on high ground (One of our former clients had a Vespa shop in Atlanta that was located in a shopping center that was at the bottom of a fairly steep hill and it had a river on it’s back side. When hurricane Ivan came through, the store was submerged in 5’ of water, submerging their entire network and inventory).

Tornado

1. Avoid locating sever rooms near the exterior wall of a building. Put them as close to the center as possible in whatever room as the most reinforced infrastructure (and no water pipes over head, see Flood above)

Physical Theft

1. Consult with a security company regarding ingress/egress control options such as card or biometric (thumb prints, hand scans, etc.) entry
2. Install digital video cameras. Be sure to secure the recording unit in a secret location and back it up off site (online backup is fine)

Data Theft

1. Consult with your managed IT service provider on how to safe guard your data using file permissions, encryption (especially for laptops) and auditing.
2. Disable users’ ability to write to external media such as burnable CDs, DVDs, and Flash Drives.
3. Implement 2-factor authentication (e.g. logging in with a password and thumb print)

Insurance

1. Review your commercial policy with your agent no less than once per year.
2. Make sure that you are protected from all reasonable scenarios and that your limits are adjusted as your revenue/profit increases.

Strategic Alliances, often little more than a business buzz phrase, can have a very real impact on your bottom line if executed correctly. Some of the benefits of Strategic Alliances include:

• The ability to compete against stronger competitors through the creation of synergistic partnerships
• Development and exploitation niche markets faster
• Increased activity throughout the entire sales pipeline – all the way from lead generation to closed business.

So what is a Strategic Alliance and how do you form one that works and lasts? I’m about to tell you:

First, let’s look at some definitions for “strategic”:

• Pertaining to, characterized by, or of the nature of strategy
• Important in or essential to strategy
• Of an action, as a military operation or move in a game, forming an integral part of the stratagem

Next, let’s look at some definitions for “alliance”:

• the state of being allied or confederated
• a connection based on kinship or marriage or common interest; “the shifting alliances within a large family”; “their friendship constitutes a powerful bond between them”
• an organization of people (or countries) involved in a pact or treaty
• a formal agreement establishing an association or alliance between nations or other groups to achieve a particular aim
• confederation: the act of forming an alliance or confederation

Finally, the definition for a Strategic Alliances, (as defined by Wikipedia)

A Strategic Alliance is a formal relationship between two or more parties to pursue a set of agreed upon goals or to meet a critical business need.

I like this definition due to its emphasis on formality and “agreed upon goals”. One thing that I think is missing from this definition is that the relationship should also be mutually beneficial – as this is key to making the Strategic Alliance last.

Some Strategic Alliances Basics

The are many kinds of strategic alliances. Most center on revenue creation. Examples include:

• Reseller / Affiliate Model: You become a reseller of a certain product or service in exchange for sales and marketing support of said product or service.
• Outsource Relationship: Over time you come to realize that certain parts of your business are better handled by another entity outside your business because it is more profitable, efficient, etc.
• Business Development: Referral Partnership, Co-Marketing, etc.

It is the last type of Strategic Alliance, business development,  that I would like to spend some time on. This can be one of the easiest to form and at the same time the most powerful. Who should you strategicly partner with? The obvious answer is professions that you naturally get referrals from already. For example, I own an IT company, so I receive a great deal of referrals from an ISP broker and telecom hardware vendor that I have allied with. Another great example of a good strategic alliance would be composed of a CPA, financial planner & estate planning attorney.

It is important to formalize this relationship as much as possible to get the maximum results. Formalization should create a culture of accountability in the alliance which is critical to the success of it. Here are some ideas.

• Meet at least once a month and share sales pipe line reports
  • What deals are you working on now?
  • What deals have you recently closed?
  • Discuss referrals that have been passed around the alliance. (status, quality, etc.)
  • Create a list of specific prospects that you would like to get into and go over the list with your alliance. Use Linkedin and other business social media sites to make connections.
  • Are you have trouble closing any deals? If so, how can the alliance help?
    • Powerful Example: If the prospect does not have the budget for your project or service, is their anyone in the alliance that can create the savings through their product or services that essentially creates the funds for your project? I use my telecom broker in this regard. He can come in and save them hundreds to thousands a month, the savings from which cover most or all of the cost of my proposal.
  • Side Note: If, when I say “sales pipe line report”, your eyes glaze over, then you probably need a customer relationship management (CRM) system, such as ACT!, or Microsoft CRM. I recommend Alanna Galiano or Emerging Technologies to get your up to speed.A good CRM is essential to making this strategy work.
    
• Develop a joint Needs Assessment
  • If you already have a Needs Assessment, this is easy, just ask each member of your alliance for the top 3 questions that you should ask when conducting a Needs Assessment on your prospect that might generate a referral for them. For example: I always ask a few questions about their phone system to see if there is a possible referral opportunity to the telecom hardware company in my alliance.
• Joint Marketing
  
  • Create a “Partners” page on your web site and add logos with link backs to each of your partner’s web sites. Make sure they do the same.
  • Co-sponsor an event together, such as a conference or tradeshow. Obviously the event should contain target prospects that you are all are going after.
  • Find other ways to cross market:
    • Drop a brochure or coupon from an alliance member into your invoice mailings.

More Advanced Strategic Alliances

Want to take this concept to the next level?

Form an alliance around a business process or event. One idea that came from my friend, Bob Hill of Hill Corporate Partners, centers around office moves. Think about it. When someone want’s to move their office, they need the following:

• A commercial tenant rep, like Bob Hill, to find the new space
• An office furniture company to furnish the new office
• A moving company to move the stuff in the old office to the new one
• An IT company, like Carceron, to restore the computer network
• A telecom broker, like Elite Telecom Services, to get the telephone lines and Internet service going
• A telecom hardware company to setup the phone system for the new location
• A printer to handle change out of all collateral such as business, cards, brochures, letterhead, etc.
• And probably a CPA

You could market the alliance with an informational web site that is search engine optimized (maybe everyone chips in for some pay per click advertisement as well). Make sure that there is good quality content on the site. In the case of the office move, perhaps some check lists, Dos & Don’ts, etc.

Getting Started

If you don’t know all of the people that you need to form your alliances, I suggest joining a BNI or Corporate Connections referral marketing program. Corporate Connections chapters, like Synergy, are developing a strong, structured program for strategic alliance creation and development. Another venue might be Vistage. I am a director for Corporate Connections in the Atlanta market, so please feel free to contact me directly with any questions about that program.

What are some other ideas for an Advanced Strategic Alliance?

While I have written this in 1st person, I hope that I do not come across as being “bitchy”. This is a list of personal pet peaves that I suspect others share with me, coupled with common business sense.

1. Don’t hand me your business card unless I ask you for it. I promise to do the same. I meet a lot of people and if you’re someone that I don’t think I can help, or you can’t help me, or you can’t help someone I know, then what’s the point? We should be honest with one another. If you do force me to take a card, you’re getting added to my email marketing list and getting spammed – fair warning.
2. Don’t issue cheesy status updates to any of the various social media outlets (FaceBook, Linkedin, etc.). Make sure what you post is interesting enough to read. A good rule of thumb is the “So what” contest – if another person posted what you were going to post, would you say “So What?”. If so, it’s probably not a good post. I know the idea behind status updates and micro-blogging is to talk about what you’re doing right now – what they forget to add was “What are you doing right now, that is interesting to the people you are connected to?” Otherwise, I’m clicking the “hide” button. If my posts bore you, feel free to “Hide” me by all means. Here are some examples:
   • Good
     • I am at the Networking in ATL event at Sutra Lounge with Brandon Miltsch, owner of FireWolf (tells you where I am and who I am with, both of which might be of interest)
   • Bad
     • I’m going to ________   [mom's, bed, the toilet]
3. Don’t call me and try to sell me something the day after we have met. If I took the time to get to know you, I will have told you on the spot that we need to set a follow up appt to discuss your services or product. If I didn’t, and you want my business, then help me pay for what you want to sell me via a referral. This goes a long way. I promise to do the same (and already do).
4. Don’t send me invitations to cheesy FaceBook applications like “Snowball Fight” or Kidnap. These are annoying time wasters. ’nuff said.
5. Don’t hand me a brochure or any other kind of sales collateral at a networking function. Your business card will suffice. I assume that you have a web site if I need more information. If you don’t, I have a referral for you.
6. Don’t ask me to become a fan of or join a group related to something that is obviously not interesting or of benefit to me (e.g. cosmetics)
7. Don’t assume that I remember you if we’ve only met one time. Reintroduce yourself to me every time until we have had a 1:1 meeting, beers together or whatever. I promise to do the same. Again, I meet a lot of people (as you should be) and it is impossible to remember everyone after just one meeting in passing. (Exception: if you are someone important to the networking function I am at, i.e. chapter or associations president, etc.  – leadership has its perks)
8. Don’t connect to me on Linkedin with a free-mail email address as your primary contact email address. Freemail accounts are, for example: @yahoo.com, @gmail.com, @bellsouth.net, etc. (Exception: this only applies if you are a business owner. I understand the case for sales people to maintain control of their profiles with their personal email address? Also, this it is ok if you’re between jobs or retired)

How did you do on your first real week back?

Did you make any progress on your goals or resolutions? If not, then consider this your wake up call!

Here is what I got done: (it should have been more but the week got very hectic)

• I made 4 workouts (3 kickboxing sessions and 1 session of lifting and working a heavy bag) at Hard Knox Fitness in Kennesaw .This is good. but I really need to make 5 a week. Will definitely do so next week. The goal is to enter some kind of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournament by the end of the year.
• I joined the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG). That was long over due.
• I made some headway on the final touches of Carceron’s new web site which will be released soon.
• I will start the Certified Networker Course Monday morning
• I made huge headway on fleshing out a workable Power Team program for Corporate Connections which I hope to start implementing in my chapter, Synergy, very soon.

Some of us are good starters (like me) and some of us are better finishers (not me). So I will help hold all of you late starters accountable if you all help me hold me accountable later in the quarter.

Pinky Promise?

If you have not even written your goals for the year out yet or setup your accountability system, then you are behind schedule. See my other posts below to get started and let’s have a kick-ass 2010!!!

Leadership & Goal Setting for 2010

Accountability – From Resolution to Reality – How Will You “Get it Done” This Year?

As we start a new year and a new decade, we will once again set goals & create resolutions. What is so special about this time of year that we feel the need to do this? I have a few ideas:

1. A year is a significant amount of time for to allow for the completion of many long term goals.
2. The holidays allow us to renew ourselves with some relaxation and time with family & friends.
3. The holidays are a slow down period for many businesses which allows many of us to “catch our breathe” and re-group.

It’s this slowing down that is of greatest interest to me. What this tells me is that if we are given enough time to slow down and think in a relaxed state we’re pretty good at knowing where we need to go. So why do so many (including me) that set goals and create resolutions fail to reach them? It most cases it simply comes down to execution – doing what needs to be done. But human beings are complex animals, and while we are very good at giving advice and holding others accountable, it is much harder to hold ourselves accountable for the necessary execution required to complete our goals. This is why people hire personal trainers and business coaches -  not to help them with execution, but to hold them accountable for the execution. After all, your personal trainer won’t do the lifting or heavy breathing for you (wouldn’t that be nice?).

So how will you hold yourself accountable this year? I can tell what I have done and what I am going to try.

First, set your personal goals and business goals, making sure that they are very clear to you and to anyone else that they affect (employees, family, etc.). One of the biggest tips on increasing accountability is to set yourself a deadline. When you have a deadline, you should feel some kind of pressure to complete the goal. See my article “Leadership & Goal Setting for 2010″ for more on this.

Business Goals:

Be as transparent to your staff as possible and hold monthly meetings that focus only on the goals that you have set. I believe strongly in leadership by example, so I can’t very well show up to a meeting where I have not made any progress on my goals and they have. That is my accountability system for my business. Another excellent way to add accountability in business is to have a client advisory council. Then you are getting accountability from 2 different directions.

That being said, it is a goal of mine to hire or engage a mentor/coach as there are certain things that I like to bounce of other experienced business owners that may not always be appropriate to share with employees or a client advisory council. It’s taken me a while to come around to the concept of purchasing “accountability” through coaching – but I am getting there. That being said, I currently have several friends that are also business owners that serve this purpose.

Personal Goals:

This one is tougher. It’s been my experience that friends and family do not always make good accountability partners unless you’re both working on the same goal – and even then, one may have stronger discipline than the other making it a bit one-sided. Why do I emphasize the importance of the same goal? Because many friends may not care that much about your personal goal, are poor role models relative to the goal, and/or they “love you just the way you are”.

What’s the answer?

The easy way out is to hire a life coach, but who has the budget for that?

My answer…

Using friends with the same goal is a good start and better than nothing I guess. However, for me, if I can get a group going or join a group related to the goal that I want to accomplish, it makes it a lot easier. The same principles that motivate me to meet the goals of my business (fear of disappointing my employees) drive me to not disappoint the group and my new friends. Obviously this works best if you immediately get to work befriending people in the group which creates the necessary ties to make them care about you. It may sound a bit shallow – but if you think about, many of your friendships had to start on a common bond of “something”.

Review Your Goals Regularly:

Whether you have personal or business goals, review your goals regularly. Monthly is probably a good frequency. If you’re behind on your achieving your goals, devise a game plan to catch up. Deliberately set aside time to catch up – a day on the weekend or a couple of nights – whatever it takes. Also, make sure that your goals are in some kind of digital, easy to access format. I recommend using one of the tools below.

Tools:

There are some great tools that can provide varying levels of accountability depending on how much you are willing to share with your friends, coach etc.

LifeTick: This is a simple to use goal tracking web site. Pay $20 for the 1 year subscription and start tracking all of your personal goals. The site enfores SMART goal format and will email you impending and past due goal deadlines. It also has some mild reporting capabilities and a journal entry feature.

Screenshot of the LifeTick.com Interface

NSight EPS: This is like LifeTick on steroids. Still in beta, NSight runs about $300 per year but has a very cool interface and much more depth of content than LifeTick. It has locations for personal SWOT analysis, personal and company vision and mission statements, and a slew of other features. This service also has a coaching module and is great for group coaching (think Vistage).

Screenshot of NSight

How do you plan to hold yourself accountable?

Leadership

Most people that know me know that I am very goal oriented and focused on results. I was not always like this. I had always considered myself a good leader perhaps due to my empathy, perhaps due to my time in the Army… who knows? But actually using this natural leadership to any great effect has been my challenge ever since starting a business 8 years ago.

What I came to discover is that I simply had charisma – I could get people to like and respect me, but that was only half the battle (more like 25% of the battle). It’s what you do when you have this respect that matters. This what I have come to learn as true leadership: deserving the respect of those around you enough to have their confidence to lead them in a particular direction – preferably a productive one – and then actually doing it. The other lesson that I learned early on in business is that people want to be led… expect to be led, and are uncomfortable when there is not a strong leader at the helm.

Armed with this knowledge, I finally began to understand what all of the hoopla was about concerning vision, mission statements and core values. I had been through several exercises on how to develop a vision and a mission statement, but they always seemed more like “wishful thinking”. It wasn’t until I understood the bigger picture, derived from countless books, seminars and a little bit of coaching, that it all made sense regarding how to use these tools.

Vision: An ever-changing horizon affected by changes in economy, your industry personnel, etc., I prefer Kimberly Douglas’ interpretation of vision as not heading towards a single mountain to conquer, but having several mountains in the distance, and you choose which mountain as you get closer it. Kind of like a plan A, B, or C. To much changes too fast in today’s world to have a rigid vision. You need to be open and develop strong skills of adaption. The only exception to this that I can think of is if you have a patent on something so new and innovative that no one else has it.

Mission: Ours is simple “You should be able to expect us to do anything for you that an in house IT technician or CTO would do“. That’s it. It’s easy to remember and speaks to the customer service levels that I demand from my staff. It also saves a lot of time on questions like “Should we do this? Because it’s not specified in the contract“. Most times I just refer them back to the mission statement and ask them to update me as to what they decided later (mostly for my own curiosity and coaching purposes). By the way, if you’re mission statement is more than 1-2 sentences and/or is hard to memorize, it’s too long. Simplify, simplify, simplify. (Thank you, Dr. Bob for this useful bit of advice)

Core Values: Most people think this is what you and/ or the company hold’s valuable, and to some extent it can be. However, what core values really do is apply guide rails to a decision making process. Care values are an invaluable tool for a leader looking to delegate because core values provide a decision framework for your staff to work by. Every time there is a crisis, adhering to the core values that you established should handle 90% of the hard decisions subordinates need to make before ever getting to you. When subordinates make mistakes, you can always counsel them on how what they did conflicted with the company’s core values. When you write out your core values, make sure to also write an interpretation for each.  For example:

Professionalism

Carceron professionals conduct themselves in a business-like manner at all times. They dress sharp and are well groomed and aspire to higher and broader levels of technical expertise and make good ethical decisions.

Of course all of these things can and should change as the business changes, but not so often that people become confused. If you make a change to any of the above, then you should explain why to all of your employees.

Goal Setting

Once all this is in place, you have the foundation for goal setting. Indeed, it is hard to imagine setting goals without a vision, or a mission in place (what would you base your goals on?). When you’re setting company goals for the year, it is very important to involve your staff – your managers at a minimum. This is your front line and they have important information that you will need. Ideally you should spend some time brainstorming off site some where. Get a professional facilitator if it is within your budget  (I recommend Kimberly Douglas of FireFly Faciliation) otherwise have a agenda that runs something like this:

1. Ask for ideas for goals in next year. Try to do so by department – do this even if you don’t have any departments. You don’t need an HR department to set goals of establishing a 401k program or improving benefits
   • Encourage creativity and “out of the box” thinking”
   • Accept all ideas (you’re just brain storming in this phase)
   • No open criticism of ideas should be allowed… yet
2. Discuss and prioritize the goals that you have come up with, remove any that are superfluous or redundant. You may also find that some goals are subordinate to other goals or are tasks to be completed in support of the larger goal.
3. Write all of the goals in a SMART format, which stands for:
   • Specific - Make the goal as specific as possible by making sure it meets the next 4 criteria as well as any other specific criteria you feel is pertinent
   • Measurable - Define the goal line for success. Describe what success looks, smells, tastes and sounds like. Bad Goal: Make more money this year. Good Goal: Make $3,000,000 this year
   • Achievable - Is the goal actually achievable given your current resources (employees, cash, etc.). 200% growth is probably not achievable.
   • Relevant – Is the goal relevant to the vision, mission or core values? If not, then why are you doing it?
     
   • Timely – What is the timeline to complete the goal? Many people work better under a deadline, otherwise, things are too easy to blow off.
4. Now write all of the tasks needed to complete each goal. Make sure to drill down deep here and be as specific as possible. It’s best to have the person that came up with the goal also come up with the necessary tasks needed to complete that goal in most cases. For example, let’s say you that you had a goal of “Upgrade Computer Network by End of 2010″ some of the tasks for that goal might be:
   • Gather computer and network inventory
   • Assess which machines need replacement first
   • Get quotes from 3 different IT solutions providers
   • Create refresh plan with solution provider (don’t be afraid to involve vendors with your goals)
5. Have all goals and tasks in a centrally accessible location such as on a spreadsheet on a server, on your company SharePoint site or using a goal planning web site like LifeTick (this is what my company does).
6. Conduct monthly meetings that focus on goal progress. If you don’t think you’re going to make a goal within a certain time frame, then discuss what you need to do to make that happen (e.g. every one works late one night or on a weekend) or discuss pushing the goal up a quarter (don’t get in the habit of this however).
7. Repeat this process in October or November of each year.

A great resource that I would recommend to you if you plan to run your own agenda without an outside facilitator is a book called The FireFly Effect by Kimberly Douglas.

Best of luck in 2010!