How We Boost Organizational Excellence in 90 Days

If you’re like many business leaders today, one of the biggest challenges you face is not just how to build a good company (that’s challenging enough!) but how to produce an excellent organization — one that leaves a legacy.

At Ninety, we embrace the importance of this quest and strive to get smart stuff done in 90 days. In fact, we focus specifically on helping small and midsize organizations become extraordinarily productive, humane, and resilient places of work where team members are focused, aligned, and thriving.

Some might find this too aspirational or not realistic in the “real marketplace.” But it's the mission we stand by. Our platform offers businesses just like yours real options for how to organize, build efficiencies, develop a Vision, save time, and increase accountability and productivity.

Imagine what you could accomplish in the next 90 days if you had access to a system that helps simplify the complexities of organizational development and empowers teams and leaders to focus on what really matters.

The Power of Ninety Days

Now, more than at any other time in history, we have more autonomy to choose how we spend our time. But getting to this point has resulted from a long process of evolution. In ancient times, the rhythms of life were established by the seasons and agricultural cycles, which ultimately led to the adoption of the modern Gregorian calendar.

Over the centuries, of course, our days and weeks have become commoditized as we’ve gotten better and better at applying more useful information to solving life’s challenges. In the modern era, our entire business cycle is structured into four 90-day periods, and everything in our monochronistic culture pushes us to increase efficiency (time is money) and productivity (beat the competition).

Despite the epochs of history, one thing has remained: The clock (like money) is neutral. Since we all have the same amount of time in a day — just 24 hours — we hope to spend as much of it as we can applying our talents and skills toward making the world a better place. 

This is why we love the idea of setting 90-day goals (we call them Rocks). It’s short enough not to be too daunting but long enough to achieve significant results. Who hasn’t heard of a 90-day challenge to get in shape? At Ninety, this benchmark is the perfect moniker for how we think about business success. In 90 sunrises and sunsets, only 2160 hours, you can get amazing results at whatever you put your mind and heart into.

The Pursuit of Practical Perfection: The 90% Philosophy

But let’s first talk briefly about a concept that still trips up many folks, especially in the world of business: the perfection problem. Whether it happens to be career, academics, finances, a partner, or something else, people tend to fixate on attaining more than what’s mentally, psychologically, or physically possible.

There are many good reasons why systems, people, and institutions are not 100% efficient. In her book Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert shines a light on how this idea still bedevils us:

“I think perfectionism is just fear in fancy shoes and a mink coat, pretending to be elegant when actually it’s just terrified. Because underneath that shiny veneer, perfectionism is nothing more than a deep existential angst that says, again and again, ‘I am not good enough and I will never be good enough.’”

That’s why at Ninety, we believe that aiming for 90% success is a more practical and realistic approach to success in business (and life!). Freeing ourselves from the pursuit of perfection helps us avoid the pitfalls of analysis paralysis, where the pursuit of perfection hampers progress, and empowers us to pursue more clear-headed decision-making.

By aiming for 90%, organizations can focus on substantial, impactful achievements without getting bogged down by the unattainable.

Marching in Sync 90 Days at a Time

Ninety’s philosophy and willingness to be “imperfectly perfect” in favor of setting realistic and practical goals transform our entire operational mindset. By emphasizing synchronized, step-by-step progress, the 90-day framework functions as a core part of this approach. It empowers our teams to stay focused on their North Star and helps them achieve organizational goals without getting completely derailed. 

The quarterly time frame is long enough to achieve significant goals yet short enough to maintain momentum and adaptability. It ensures that everyone is aligned and moving forward together, making consistent, measurable progress in manageable increments.

Hitting 90% of What Matters Most

In line with Ninety's practical approach to perfection, we emphasize the importance of prioritizing and achieving 90% of what truly matters.

Many contemporary approaches fixate on 100% efficiency. But think about it; if we’re completing 100% of our goals, KPIs, and To-Dos, then we’re likely not challenging ourselves enough.

When companies or individuals go full scorched earth to reach 100% efficiency, they inevitably end up facing the fallout: stress, frustration, and burnout.

By instead concentrating on the most impactful 90%, organizations learn to work smarter not harder to yield the most significant results, which ultimately enhances overall productivity and effectiveness.

Ninety — A Symbol of Achievable Excellence

When we pursue being 90% strong, we’re exercising practical perfection. It's a philosophy that champions achievable excellence, synchronized progress, and a focus on what truly matters.

This approach aligns with the practical realities of business, where adaptability, resilience, and effectiveness are more critical than flawless execution. It's about staying agile and creating systems and processes that are robust, efficient, and adaptable to the changing business landscape.

This approach not only keeps us on the cutting edge of growth and innovation but also resonates with our mission to simplify the complexities of building great organizations, providing a pragmatic framework for businesses to thrive.

Ninety is more than a name to us; it's a guiding principle for sustainable, impactful organizational excellence.