From Surviving to Thriving: Managing for Success in a Tough Economy

Our vision is clearly articulated and communicated to everyone in our organization..

Our mission is clear and can be reflected in everyone’s daily actions.

Our values are documented and we can prove that all of our staff demonstrate our values regularly.

Our desired culture has been documented and we can prove that all of our staff demonstrate our desired culture regularly.

We can demonstrate that our culture is aligned to our values, our values are aligned to our mission, and our mission is aligned to our vision..

Our current core business “how we make money now” is clear and documented..

Our future core business “how we will make money in the future” is clear and documented..

We have identified and documented the specific skills required to conduct our core business.

We have identified and documented our Unique Selling Point (how we are different / better than our competitors).

We have clearly identified and documented our organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats..

Each department has clearly articulated and documented goals that align to our corporate objectives..

We have a financial forecast established that is aligned to our corporate objectives.

Our company has identified and documented the risks to our business and we have assigned accountable staff to mitigate and minimize these risks..

We have identified and documented who our target market is (who our customers are).

We have identified and documented the 3 key messages we want our customers to know about our business.

All of our staff can communicate what our business does consistently in 30 seconds or less.

We have identified and documented the tactics (methods) we will use to communicate our key messages to our customers.

We have a documented schedule for when we will implement our marketing tactics.

Our leaders know how to establish S.M.A.R.T goals.

Our leaders can demonstrate they know how to establish the actions required to achieve goals.

We are able to demonstrate the priorities of all departments and staff members at all times..

All of our staff can clearly identify the goals of their department.

We can demonstrate that all of our staff are working towards and contributing to our common company objectives.

Each department has identified the factors critical for their success and have established scoreboards to measure and monitor the results..

We can demonstrate that all of our employees are proactively contributing each day to departmental goals.

We have a framework for identifying, recording and implementing ideas across our entire business..

We have a framework for identifying, recording and fixing problems across our entire business..

We have a framework for documenting and managing tactical projects across our entire business..

We have a framework for managing the recurring activities that occur in our business.

Core business processes for each department have been identified and documented..

Each department’s core business processes have an accountable person and are regularly reviewed and improved.

We have a weekly leadership meeting for each department that follows a set agenda, always finishes on time and ensures past weeks’ actions are completed..

We have a monthly senior leadership meeting that follows a set agenda, always finishes on time and ensures metrics critical for our business success are measured, monitored and managed.

We can demonstrate a performance management process is in place and working well.

We can demonstrate that our leaders hold their direct reports accountable for not achieving results.

We have a framework for identifying which of our team members needs support, training and coaching and have the processes in place for ensuring each team member gets this professional development.

We have a business structure in place that ensures our business is not reliant on 1 or 2 key people.

Our staff are planning and prioritizing their tasks appropriately each day.

Our staff are completing actions on or before set deadlines.

We are achieving our corporate goals.

I feel confident, comfortable and in control of our business growth.