Table Of ContentAdvance Praise for Rhythm
“Rhythm changed our entire business. In the first year, we had a $3.5M
turnaround that was the direct result of becoming more focused and aligning our
resources. This is only our second year and the process continues to have an
exponential impact on our company. Rhythm has been the single most important
investment we’ve made in the last twenty-three years.”
—Randy Carr, president and CEO of World Emblem International, Inc.
“Complexity is a byproduct of growth, and without proper attention to the right
priorities, future growth will likely stall. Patrick helped us define those priorities
that are truly driving our business forward making energy and resource
allocation simple.”
—Mike Rans, vice president and general manager of Kinkelder USA
“Rhythm is a very readable, practical guide for what entrepreneurs and CEOs can
do to meet growth challenges and grow successfully. I’m particularly pleased
that Thean recognizes the importance of strengthening teams as they grow and
finding other jobs in the company for people who have maxed out. I’d
recommend this book to every entrepreneur, CEO, and senior manager in a
company with growth potential.”
—Brad Smart, bestselling author of Topgrading
“Growth is an imperative for high-potential ventures, and the acceleration of
growth comes from excellence in execution. Thean has an acute understanding
of this paradigm but he advances that thinking by introducing rhythm as a
conceptual imperative for a growing company. Rhythm lever-ages thought,
planning, and execution competencies to increase value. If you think you have a
good company, read this book and you might make a lot more money than you
ever conceived possible.”
—Stephen Spinelli, Jr., PhD, cofounder of Jiffy Lube; president of Philadelphia
University; former vice provost of entrepreneurship and global management at
Babson College, and author of seven business books
“Rhythm introduced me to a new system to enhance harmony and balance in our
companies. It’s about hitting that sweet spot between the tense times and the safe
times in the growth cycle for every company.”
—Jack Stack, CEO of SRC Holdings Corp and author of The Great Game of
Business
“The rhythm of business is accelerating and the nature of strategy is
transforming. Thean offers a tested, proven process for winning in a fast-paced
world.”
—Kaihan Krippendorff, CEO of Outthinker LLC and author of Outthink the
Competition
“If you want to lead a great company, Patrick Thean has written the how-to on
achieving greatness. The system he has designed works! Design the future, put
the plan together to realize your future, then implement with impeccable
discipline. This is the framework for the ultimate success story. The process
works—Arbill is living proof.”
—Julie Copeland, president and CEO of Arbill, and chair of the Women’s
Business Enterprise National Council Forum (2014–2015)
Published by Greenleaf Book Group Press
Austin, Texas
www.gbgpress.com
Copyright ©2014 Patrick Thean
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the
copyright holder.
Distributed by Greenleaf Book Group LLC
For ordering information or special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Greenleaf Book Group
LLC at PO Box 91869, Austin, TX 78709, 512.891.6100.
Design and composition by Greenleaf Book Group LLC
Cover design by Greenleaf Book Group LLC
Cover image: iStockphoto.com/Maydaymayday
Rhythm is a registered trademark of Patrick Thean and Leadline, LLC.
Think Rhythm™; Plan Rhythm™; Do Rhythm™; Think Plan Do Rhythm™; SuperGreen™; and Red-
Yellow-Green™ are trademarks of Patrick Thean and Leadline, LLC.
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-62634-080-0
Ebook Edition
To my parents, Who instilled in me the values of hard work,
determination, and integrity. Thank you for your unconditional love
and support.
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
BREAKTHROUGH EXECUTION
PART 1: THINK RHYTHM
CHAPTER 1: THE SECRET TO GROWTH IS DEVELOPING A HABIT TO
THINK
Think Rhythm: Put Thinking Time in Your Flight Path
Building a Strong Foundation to Scale
CHAPTER 2: WINNING MOVES TO 2X YOUR BUSINESS
The Secret to Developing Winning Moves
How to Prioritize Your Winning Moves
Use an Idea Bench
CHAPTER 3: 5 STEPS TO DEVELOPING YOUR WINNING MOVES
Step 1: Name Your Winning Move
Step 2: Find the “Who”
Step 3: Develop Revenue Projections
Step 4: Identify and Test Assumptions
Step 5: Adjust
CHAPTER 4: YOUR “STOP DOING” LIST
Stop Losing Moves
Stop Overeating from the Buffet of Opportunities
THINK RHYTHM: 9 ACTIONS TO GET YOU STARTED
PART 2: PLAN RHYTHM
CHAPTER 5: GET YOUR TEAM FOCUSED AND ALIGNED WITH A
GREAT PLAN
Plan Rhythm: Execution Planning Is Different from Strategic Thinking
Close the Communication Gap
9 Tips to Running a Great Planning Session
CHAPTER 6: DEVELOP AN INSPIRING PLAN
Are You Building a Cathedral, or Just Laying Bricks?
How to Execute Your Strategy
Discuss, Debate, Agree
Avoid Common Pitfalls
CHAPTER 7: EVERY QUARTER IS A 13-WEEK RACE
5 Steps to Developing a Strong Plan
The Power of Having a Main Thing
Commit to the Most Important Priorities
Get Fully Aligned With Your Departments
CHAPTER 8: THE POWER OF LEADING INDICATORS AND
DASHBOARDS
4 Steps to Developing Leading Indicators
Red-Yellow-Green: The Power of Having Clear Success Criteria
How to Use Dashboards to Drive Results
PLAN RHYTHM: 14 ACTIONS TO GET YOU GOING
PART 3: DO RHYTHM
CHAPTER 9: NOTHING HAPPENS UNTIL YOU DO THE WORK
Do Rhythm: Make Decisions Faster as a Team
Description:Overview: A Simple system to help your team execute better and faster
