How are you planning for success in 2025

Verstreuen from GH

Author

Grady Harwood
January 07, 2025

Welcome to Verstreuen, meaning “to scatter,” where I unpack the notes and ideas added to my 🗃️ Zettelkasten, or “note box,” and attempt to connect and share the scattered thoughts, unexpected connections, and the stories they create along the way.

This weeks notes come from the book The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt, an instagram post and a instagram reel.

  • A systematic approach to identify and manage system constraints

  • Important brand launch dates 2025

  • 9 box employee management system

The Five Focusing Steps - Theory of Constraints

Step 1: Identify the System's Bottlenecks - Locate the constraints that limit the system's performance. These could be physical resources, policies, or processes that restrict throughput.

Step 2: Exploit the Bottlenecks - make sure the bottlenecks' time is not wasted, take some of the load off the bottlenecks and give it to non-bottlenecks

Step 3: Subordinate Everything Else - Align all other system components to support the maximum effectiveness of the bottleneck/constraint. This may involve adjusting the pace of non-bottleneck resources.

Step 4: Elevate the System's Bottlenecks - If previous steps aren't sufficient, take major actions to eliminate the constraint. This might require significant investment or fundamental changes.

Step 5: If, in a previous step, a bottleneck has been broken go back to step 1. - Once a bottleneck is resolved, return to the first step to identify new constraints. This creates a cycle of continuous improvement.

The major takeaway here is that the capacity of a system is equal to the capacity of its bottlenecks meaning that it doesn’t matter how much you optimize other parts of the system if you dont focus on the bottlenecks you will not increase the output!

 

Important brand launch dates 2025

Q1 Key Dates

  • New Year: Jan 1 (Plan by Oct 1, 2024)

  • Chinese New Year: Jan 29 (Plan by Oct 29, 2024)

  • Valentine's Day: Feb 14 (Plan by Nov 14, 2024)

  • Black History. Month: February (Plan by Nov 1, 2024)

Spring items begin trending. Think lightweight jackets, soft palettes, and transitional styles.

Q2 Key Dates

  • April Fools: April 1 (Plan by Jan 1, 2025)

  • Earth Day: April 22 (Plan by Jan 22, 2025)

  • Cinco De Mayo: May 5 (Plan by Feb 5, 2025).

  • Mother's Day: May 11 (Plan by Feb 11, 2025)

  • Pride Month: June (Plan by March 1, 2025)

  • Juneteenth: June 19 (Plan by March 19, 2025)

Summer vibes take over. Festival-ready styles, bold colors, and lightweight fabrics shine.

Q3 Key Dates

  • 4th of July: July 4 (Plan by April 4, 2025)

  • Back-to-School: Late July-Aug (Plan by May 1, 2025)

  • End-of-Summer Sales: Early Sept (Plan by June 1, 2025)

  • Pre-Winter Trends: Mid-Sept (Plan by June 15, 2025)

Think tees, denim, and bold fits-everyone's outside, and it's peak "fit pic" season.

Q4 Key Dates

  • Halloween: Oct 31 (Plan by July 31, 2025)

  • Thanksgiving: Nov 27 (Plan by Aug 27, 2025)

  • Black Friday: Nov 28 (Plan by Aug 28, 2025)

  • Cyber Monday: Dec 1 (Plan by Sep 1, 2025)

  • Christmas: Dec 25 (Plan by Sep 25, 2025)

  • New Year's Eve: Dec 31 (Plan by Sep 30, 2025)

This is your biggest quarter-exclusive drops, bold promotions, and high energy campaigns are a must!

The new year is the perfect time to kick off planning for the year ahead. Early preparation and aligning campaigns with key cultural, seasonal, and promotional events can set the stage for success. Planning a quarter in advance helps create room for thoughtful execution and ensures maximum impact during high-visibility periods.

 

9 box employee management system

Low
Performance

Moderate Performance

High Performance

High
Potential

Train

Train & Retain

Retain

Moderate Potential

Remove

Train

Retain

Low
Potential

Remove

Remove

Retain

Many Fortune 500 companies, including Google, GE, and PepsiCo, utilize the 9-Box system as part of their talent management strategy, enhancing employee engagement, retention, and performance across all levels of the organization. often used by HR professionals and managers to evaluate and categorize employees based on two key dimensions: performance and potential. This simple yet effective matrix allows organizations to make informed decisions about employee development, retention, and management strategies.

Closing Thoughts

Building systems, planning ahead, and nurturing talent are cornerstones of sustained success. Whether you're managing a team, planning a launch, or optimizing processes this year, focusing on key constraints and aligning efforts with larger goals are key to your success.

❝

How are you planning for success in 2025?

 

Thanks for reading Verstreuen

I hope there was something valuable for you in these shared notes, and I look forward to scattering and sharing more of the ideas I collect with you next time!

-GH

Have feedback? Let me know—I'd love to hear from you!