Ever notice how certain businesses navigate market shifts effortlessly while others get absolutely blindsided by problems anyone could see coming? In my experience, the difference rarely comes down to raw intelligence or even years of experience—it's about rhythm.
After scaling several businesses myself and guiding dozens more through the same process, I've spotted something that most so-called "strategic planning experts" completely overlook: how often you review your business matters almost as much as what you're actually looking at.
Why Trading Psychology Holds the Key to Better Business Leadership
I used to think traders were completely different animals from CEOs. Boy, was I wrong—turns out we're playing essentially the same game, just with different pieces on the board.
The best traders I know don't randomly analyze markets whenever they feel like it. They're religious about reviewing prices at the same intervals—some hourly, some daily, others monthly. The reason? When you look at something consistently at the same times, you start to notice patterns that raw data alone can't show you.
Apply this to your business metrics and something kinda magical happens: you develop what traders call "market feel"—that gut instinct that tells you something's off before your fancy dashboards even register a problem.
I was working with a manufacturing company last year when the CEO said, "Something feels off about our conversion rates this month." The numbers hadn't dramatically changed yet, but two weeks later, we saw a 12% drop. That's the power of consistent review cycles—you just know.
The Fatal Flaw in Most Strategic Planning
Here's where most businesses completely drop the ball—they spend weeks crafting these beautiful annual strategic plans, distribute them with tremendous fanfare, then treat them like they're ancient scrolls that nobody can touch until next year's planning retreat.
That's a recipe for unexecuted plans, right?
I mean, seriously—the world moves way too fast for that kind of rigid thinking. Your competitors aren't sitting around twiddling their thumbs. Your market isn't frozen in place. So why the hell is your strategic plan?
The Multi-Level Iteration Framework
What I've found works way better is something I started calling the Multi-Level Iteration Framework (though my team just calls it "Mike's planning obsession"):
- Plan at every level - annual, quarterly, monthly, weekly, daily
- Always look one period down - and replan what's coming next
- Iterate constantly based on new information, people, and opportunities
This isn't about being disorganized or changing direction whenever the wind blows. It's about having a structured way to adapt that keeps you flexible while still maintaining some coherent strategy.
Jim Collins talks about "preserving the core while stimulating progress," but honestly, I find most businesses get so damn fixated on the "core" part they completely forget about the "progress" bit.
The Hidden Value of Set Cadences
When you actually implement regular reviews of your scorecards, strategic direction, and mission, three really important things start happening:
1. You develop "business feel"Just like those traders I mentioned, when you review at set intervals, you start recognizing patterns that go beyond what the numbers explicitly tell you. I can usually sense when one of my businesses is hitting a rough patch about 2-3 weeks before the financial reports confirm it.
2. You iterate more effectivelyInstead of these massive, disruptive annual pivots, you make tiny adjustments that compound over time. It's like driving—you don't wait until you're halfway into the other lane before correcting; you make small steering adjustments continuously.
3. You operate at multiple time horizons simultaneouslyThis might be the most powerful benefit. Great business leaders don't just think about this quarter—they're simultaneously operating at daily, weekly, quarterly, and annual levels. Regular review cadences help juggle all these timeframes without dropping any balls.
A Fractal Approach to Business Planning
I've started thinking about business planning as fractal—these patterns that repeat at different scales. Every week I replan each day. Every month I replan my weeks. Every quarter I replan my months.
This creates what some math nerds call "self-similarity"—where your approach at each level mirrors the others, creating this weird harmony throughout your entire organization. And yeah, I realized how nerdy that sounds as I was typing it.
Tactical Implementation: How to Actually Do This
Here's how to actually implement this in your real-world business:
- Weekly leadership team meetings - Make these 90-minute sessions absolutely non-negotiable for reviewing KPIs and tackling obstacles
- Monthly strategic pulses - Half-day sessions where you replan the coming months
- Quarterly strategic offsites - 1-2 day deep dives to adjust your quarterly priorities and initiatives
- Annual strategic frameworks - 2-3 day sessions to set your broader vision and direction
Don't get too hung up on implementing everything perfectly from day one. Start with weekly cadences and build from there. Honestly, most of my clients take about 6 months to get the full rhythm working smoothly.
The Adapt-or-Die Imperative
The constant flow of energy into your business—whether that's new information, new team members, or changing market conditions—absolutely demands this kind of adaptability.
Companies that rigidly stick to outdated strategic plans aren't showing discipline—they're showing early signs of rigor mortis.
Your business isn't some static thing—it's alive, constantly changing, and requires ongoing adjustments to thrive. These periodic reviews give you a framework to make those adjustments with confidence.
Setting up regular cadences for reviewing your business scorecards and strategic direction isn't just some nice-to-have practice—it's often what separates businesses that scale successfully from those that hit a wall.
By consistently reviewing at set intervals and replanning each level periodically, you'll develop that invaluable gut feel for your business while maintaining the flexibility to roll with whatever punches the market throws at you.
And isn't that the whole damn point? To build something that's not just profitable today but adaptable enough to stay in the game tomorrow?
Start by implementing just one consistent review cadence this week. Then build from there. Trust me—your future self will thank you when you're not scrambling to explain to investors why you missed those targets you set 11 months ago.
