3 Keys to an Effective Team
Build Your Springboard for 2025
If your business isn’t working for you – if you’re running around putting out fires or spinning your wheels on a bottomless to do list – you’re not ready to achieve your growth goals for the year. More isn’t always better, and a business can suffer from indigestion just as much as starvation.
So before chasing growth, invest some time in getting organized. Think of it as building your springboard for the year ahead.
Of course, if I’m asking you to dedicate more time to business owner activities, that will mean delegating other urgent tasks to people you trust – and that means building and managing a high performing team.
Part 2: Ready the Team
Here are three things you can do this month to prepare your team and set the stage for growth.
Talk About Your Vision and Milestone Goals
Various research studies have found that between just 5-40% of employees know or understand their organization’s strategy. (See: 40%; 14%; 5%)
If you want employees who can “think like owners”, make the same decisions you would make, or even just manage their time and energy in a way that’s congruent with your priorities, you need to talk openly and often about what you’re steering toward and why.
What’s your vision for the future of the company? What does success look like to you? What specific goals or results are important this week, month, and quarter?
Until everyone on the team is aiming at the same targets, it’s inevitable you’ll have people firing in all different directions.
Implement and Review Daily “Must Do” Lists
Alignment on the big picture is important, but we get results based on how we run each day. Lead by example and start the day with a short list of the 3 most important things you need to get done, and then get them into your calendar. Once you’ve mastered your daily list, roll the system out to your team. Then check in – what’s not on anyone’s list? What’s duplicated unnecessarily? What’s being treated as more important than it actually is?
Job Descriptions for Everyone
Most small businesses don’t have written job descriptions for each role. Or if they do exist, they’re long forgotten or obsolete. It’s natural – roles tend to evolve over time as people grow and take on new responsibilities.
In Part 1 of this series, I asked you to create your own job description. Now it’s time to roll out that same level of clarity to everyone else. Great job descriptions ensure everyone knows what they’re responsible for, the critical outcomes you’re looking at from each role, and how you’ll measure their success. Clarity gives focus, and focus gives power.
Putting the Puzzle Together
These three things – a clear and well-known vision and goals, daily “must do” lists, and clear job descriptions – are puzzle pieces you can start to assemble. To see the full picture, you’ll need to take a step back. Where don’t they fit together? What gaps remain?
Recap: How to Run a More Organized Business This Year
This year, I’ve challenged business owners to invest some time to strengthening their systems for managing time, team, and money. You can find all parts here:
Part 1 – Prioritize working ON the business.
Part 2 – Prepare the team for growth.
Part 3 – Plan and track finances for a better bottom line.
This Week’s Takeaway
Implementing simple systems like a default calendar, daily priority lists, and individual performance measurements translate into a better organized and more productive business. The goal is to get out of reactive mode and prepare for growth.
So how do you measure growth in your business?
Chances are, it’s got a dollar value. Revenue. Profit. Personal income.
Next week, the final part in this series will look at creating a more organized financial scorecard, so you can stay on top of the bottom line.
NEW! Introducing The Extra Mile: Business Spotlight
In this video I’ll be interviewing Victor Hyman, Executive Director of Climate Care Canada, as we cover his journey to success, building consensus as a leader, the difficulties and benefits of running a cooperative, and more!
Jan 29th: Tune Your Marketing Engine
(Without Spending a Fortune on Ads)
Join me this month for another fun evening at the Port Credit Log Cabin in Mississauga on January 29th, 6:00pm, to learn how to execute a modern marketing strategy that will generate more inquiries, referrals, and repeat business in 2025.
Click here to grab your tickets
Feb 13th: Master Business Management
Get Into the Management Mindset.
This February, the 12-week Management Program opens! It’s a series of educational sessions to help hone your coordination, refine your management process, and keep you up-to-date on the best practices every great manager must master.
Learn more, and register here to get started
Traction: By Geno Wickman
For anyone dealing with those all-to-familiar business challenges (slow growth, decision making, implementation, miscommunications), Traction offers practical strategies that can help. It focuses on six key areas of your business, providing simple yet effective ways to bring more clarity, growth, and focus to your work. If you’re looking for a straightforward approach to streamline your business, this could be a useful read.
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