Month Three: the primary purpose of this meeting is to agree the implementation plan, although in practice it is often already being actioned.

Here, though, firm objectives are agreed and measurable targets set to the year end, all based on an action plan as detailed as necessary.

Month Five: the first progress meeting. Are you still happy with the strategy and the objectives? What progress is being made against the action plan? What issues need resolving, and what priorities set for the coming months?

Month Eight: by now, phone calls and emails are proving to be a valuable means of maintaining progress and supporting you.

This meeting might be a hard nosed review of strategy and progress towards the targets. What’s working, and what’s not? What needs fixing, what needs new ideas? The purpose of the meeting is to make sure that you can and will achieve the year end targets.

Month Twelve: the final meeting and report usually happens actually in month 13 to allow time for completion, assessment and report preparation. Have the targets been achieved? Why? How? What worked? What’s the plan for the next year?

And…how productive has the One Year Service been?

Has our Director earned a Growth Dividend?

Month One: strategy discussion to understand what you want to achieve, why and in what timescale. Strategic options can be explored and some priorities, objectives, targets set.

Month Two: both of you think further about the options discussed, undertake some research and develop some more detailed strategies for discussion at this second meeting to map out some longer term strategy, and a set of specific actions and targets. One of the benefits of this slowly-slowly-catchee-monkey approach is that you have time to consider these options, and arrive at firm conclusions at your own pace.