As we wrap up April, another time block is checked off. It is good to invest some time to assess what took place in April and so far in 2026. Too often, time passes, and we just keep moving forward without understanding what took place or whether adjustments are needed. Like a programmed robot, we keep doing the same thing and anticipating the same or better results. This mode of operation is more focused on working in your business than on taking the time to build it up strategically.
It seems that the concept of working on the business is tied to specific time cycles in the fiscal year. As we near the end of a fiscal or calendar year, there tends to be a strategic focus on forthcoming cycles and the associated planning. Once a year is not working on your business. It is simply meeting a cycle of evaluation, setting some new goals, and then jumping right back into working in the business.
Let’s examine this approach if you were the coach of a college sports team. The coach does not hold one week of practices, set the mission of winning the championship, and then simply run the same set of plays game after game. The coach and staff continue to work on improving not just plays but individual contributions and overall team chemistry. They look at game films of their own team’s successes and failures, as well as from competitions. They are continuously looking for an edge to build up the success of their program. They are not programming robots with the same old code. They are constantly rewriting and refining their game approach for each and every opponent.
Throughout the season and the off-season, they are always working toward their success and not simply operating in a repeat mode. Working on the business all year long brings much better results than a one-time approach repeated each month thereafter.
As the leader in your organization, you too must move from working in your business to working on your business. Depending on the number of people on your team, you have that many mouths and families to feed, and your organization’s success determines how well you feed them. By working on your business and building a strong culture of contribution and success, you gain many additional benefits. Great coaches are first great recruiters. They attract top talent, set high expectations, define boundaries, and hold talent accountable. To recruit, they must have the mindset of building up the team by working on it, not in it. Coaches don’t play the game; they orchestrate the game plan, and the talent on the field executes the plays.
This week, as you wrap up April business, get time on your calendar to dive a little deeper into working on your business. You don’t need a weekend retreat or even an 8-hour day. You need enough time to diligently review the business game films (what you did or did not do), then set refined expectations and boundaries, and hold team members accountable for the next cycle or set of plays.
Do you need to add some insights to your strategy team? A JKL Associates Promise Guide might just be that added ingredient to assist you in working on your business rather than being consumed by it. Give us a call, no obligation, just straight talk about being the best you can be as the leader of your organization. Call us at FL (407) 984-7246 or MI (313) 527-7945
Journey On!
COPYRIGHT – JKL ASSOCIATES 2026
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS – EMAIL US AT PARTNERS@JKLASSOCIATES.COM OR CALL OUR OFFICES – MI AT (313) 527-7945 FL AT (407) 984-7246
Celebrating 30 years of Delivering on “Promises”
