Structuring your strategy is like organizing your closet
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The start of the year is a time when many of us commit to decluttering our garage, reorganizing our pantries or focusing on our health. At California Closets, we’re in the business of home organization so we’re always thinking about how we create a seamless space for our customers. The same principles of home and closet organization can also apply to the way we lead our teams, set our goals and structure our annual plans.
Just like a well-organized closet can save you time and energy, a well-organized strategy can ensure your business operates at peak performance.
When we design a new closet, we start by considering the space as a whole—what is the vision for how it should look and function. Once we have that big picture, we make decisions about where each item will go. This same philosophy applies to strategic planning for a company. Our leadership team spends a significant amount of time working through a structured process of planning during our planning retreats, where we bring together both the leadership team and managers. We first look ahead ten years to set our long-term goals, then work backward into shorter increments of one, three and five years. The end vision guides everything we do in the present and helps us break down larger challenges into manageable pieces.
Perhaps the best part of organizing a space is the purge. There’s a certain satisfaction that comes with removing items that no longer serve you to make room for the things that matter most. Just as clutter slows you down, disorganization in your business can cause roadblocks too. At the end of each quarter, our leadership reviews our priorities to ensure our focus is on the right objectives. We may decide to let go of an outdated process or redundant recurring meeting. We may reevaluate team roles to align with the evolving needs of the company. But we do all of this before January, so that we’re ready to hit the ground running with our updated plan when the calendar turns.
In a good closet system, everything has a purpose. Your favorite pants are within reach, while your bulky sweater is stored in a drawer and out of the way. Similarly, your team needs to be aligned and structured in a way that allows everyone to operate at their best. By sharing our strategic plan with every member of our team, not just those in leadership positions, our team members know the “why” behind our growth strategy, customer satisfaction goals and plans for innovation. Just like a well-organized closet where everything has a purpose, a well-aligned team is one where everyone knows their role, feels accountable and is motivated to contribute for the bigger picture.
Even the most thoughtfully designed closet needs adjustments over time. Your wardrobe may change with the seasons, or you acquire new items that need to be integrated into your space. The same is true for business. Strategy is not static. We must constantly reevaluate, reassess and adjust our approach as we learn and grow.
That’s why, at California Closets, we break our plans down into quarterly increments. Every 90 days, we have a chance to pause, review the numbers, and ensure that our strategy is still on track. It’s similar to calling a timeout in a game. We take a moment to recalibrate and make sure we’re on course. The business world is always evolving and leaders who fail to reassess their strategy risk being left behind.
As we forge ahead into 2025, now is an ideal time to think about how we can better organize both our personal spaces and our leadership strategies. Whether you’re cleaning out your closet or refining your company’s annual plan, the principles of organization—starting with the big picture, decluttering, aligning your team, and staying agile– are key to achieving success.
Here’s to a well-organized 2025!