There’s a lot to do when you run a business, and you can’t do it all yourself. When you hire a team, they take the daily burden from you but they become your #1 priority. We say it all the time—your team is the foundation of your brand.
You’re the leader of your team, it’s up to you to make sure that your people have what they need to properly maintain and grow your business.
We designed these 11 questions specially for CEOs. Start your path towards efficiency and healthy growth.
1—Do I have the right people in the right roles?
It’s a tough question to answer, but ultimately the most important. You need to trust your team so they can trust you. If someone isn’t in the right role or you don’t believe they are, it’s not conducive to your growth and ultimately will cost you time and money.
2—Who are the leaders in my team?
Not in title—there are often one or two people in a team that are naturally predisposed to leadership, these are the people that your team talks to, that answer team member questions, and help relieve workplace stressors. They have their finger on the pulse of your brand’s ecosystem and can be allies for organizational growth.
3—Does my team understand our goals?
This refers to understanding the goals of the company and of each project they’re working on. Knowing the “why” allows innovation in the “how.” Your team members think differently than you do and if your people are in the right roles, their expertise ensures they’re better situated to finding unique and efficient ways to achieve your company’s goals.
4—Do my team members have relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)?
You need to define “success” in order to achieve it—set benchmarks and laser-focus your team.
5—Do we have the right tools to achieve our goals?
Set your goals high and make sure that your team has the tools they need to reach them. Encourage employees to research their field for apps that can be helpful in their role.
6—What can I automate?
Identify the things that suck time and energy from your team and do what you can to automate them. This frees up members to focus on new projects and increases the output you get for the cost of labor.
7—How can I help my team work smarter?
You don’t, and shouldn’t have all the answers. You hire people to add brilliance to your business, educate your team—and let them find resources that help them in their roles.
8—Is my workflow up to date?
If your team is doing things that have “always been done that way,” or if projects aren’t streamlined, you’re probably losing money and time because of you inefficiency, send us an email.
9—Do I know what my team thinks?
Two-way feedback is important. Foster relationships with your team—especially those natural leaders—so they’ll feel comfortable telling you if something isn’t working. This helps stave off burnout, which is really expensive for a business.
10—Am I flexible enough?
You could also ask, “am I too flexible?” here. Being a true leader is just as much learning how to pivot as it is about being firm in your decisions. Find the balance—and if that’s a struggle we’re always here to help.
11—What do I offer that makes my company the best to work for?
Experts will make your business more profitable—experts want to work for awesome companies. Make your company awesome.
If you don’t have an answer to every question, you have some homework to do (or you can send us an email) and we’ll help you sort it all out.
Photo by Alexander Andrews on Unsplash
