Finding Flow: S.T.O.P. – The Directors’ Meeting

Finding Flow: S.T.O.P. – The Directors’ Meeting

Continuing our theme of Finding Flow, today we’ll talk about about S.T.O.P.

We’ve built a complete productivity ecosystem — vision, one-page plan, quarterly milestones, weekly and daily MITs. Now we need to protect progress with a proper Directors’ Meeting.

Even if you’re a solo entrepreneur (the only director of your business), this still matters. We hold our on the same day each week in morning at 9am sharp. The whole day is ring-fenced. The structure we use is simple and powerful:

S.T.O.P.

S – Strategy

What are we focused on? Are we still heading in the right direction? This keeps the main thing the main thing and stops us getting distracted by shiny new opportunities.

T – Team

Who do we need to connect with right now? Tax season? Accountants and bookkeepers. A big project? The relevant specialists. It’s about checking in with the key people who keep the machine running.

O – Operations

The nuts and bolts. What transactions or projects are live? What’s the next step needed between now and next week to move them forward — sales, refurbishments, systems builds, whatever is on the go.

P – Performance

Cash flow, P&L, balance sheet, and a quick sweep through every asset. What’s working, what’s not, and what needs attention.

We’ve used this framework for years. It gives clarity, structure and calm. It stops the week from becoming reactive and keeps us in flow. Shout out to my friend Wendy Whittaker-Large for introducing me to this.

If you haven’t already, try running a short S.T.O.P. meeting this week — even if it’s just you and a notebook. Then feed any actions straight into your weekly MITs.

I’d love to hear how you get on or what questions come up.

Remember: the waves keep coming. Paddle for the ones you want and catch them.

Take care,

Paul Lanfear