As entrepreneurs, we are often our own support staff and we are certainly our own cheerleading team. That’s one of the reasons I love to use a 5:15 report.

The 5:15 am report is a powerful tool for both support and recognition. Whether you are facilitating a committee, a crowded office, or focusing on your own individual business, the 5:15 am report will help you and the people you are working with stay on target, shorten lead times. meeting and leaving space for everyone to acknowledge what they accomplished, what worked, and what they would like to change.

If you’re working with others, a 5-15 report lets each team member know what’s going on with specific projects, people, and processes. Helps to quickly identify what is working and what is not. It provides a forum to celebrate success, ask for help when needed, soften potential hotbeds of discord, and convey information of interest.

5:15 should take no more than 15 minutes to write and 5 minutes to read. The process consists of three parts:

• A simple description of what you did during the week / month. (I do mine weekly).
• An honest description of your mood and the weather you see around you.
• An idea that will improve your work, department or organization.

I use a table format in which I ask myself the following questions:

5-15 REPORT

for the (period of time, week or month)

For (your name)

Intentions for this week

What i achieved

What is working?

What could be improved?

How do I feel? What is the group’s climate?

Good idea (what will make the biggest improvement in my life, work or organization?)

What concrete steps will I take to make this happen? When

Intentions for next week. (If it is for a committee, this line could be “Add to agenda”).

Date

Sometimes when I complete an assignment, I add it to my 5:15 during the week. On Friday afternoon I take the time to complete my 5:15 and acknowledge how much I accomplished over the past week. As I write my intentions for the following week, it gives me an opportunity to rethink, reevaluate, and refocus my goals and intentions.

Setting an intention moves me forward with energy.

5:15 acts as an acknowledgment of what you’ve accomplished, a reality check on how things are going, and a “do next” reminder for you.

Enjoy.