It’s always a good time to take a 40,000-foot view of your business and evaluate where you are and where you might need reinforcement. Recently, I was talking with an entrepreneur about growing their business, and their plan is bold. They are looking to double the size of their company (in revenue) in seven years.

There are two things this company already did that is world-class:

1. They have a fantastic product, second to none, with procedures to match.
2. They execute at the customer level. i.e., customer service is second to none.

I reminded them that they are already doing (well) two of the most difficult things when running a business at a very high-level. However, even though they are doing those things well, they were only growing at a rate of 5-7% a year. Then, I asked them what they thought it would take to get them where they want to be in seven years.

Together, we came up with seven areas to master to enable expected growth:

1. Goal planning. Focus on behavioral goals and SMART goals for yourself and key staff.
2. Coaching. Understand how to coach with a process and a regular cadence.
3. Accountability. Have a deep understanding of what accountability looks like and execute it top to bottom.
4. Give Constant Feedback. Learn and follow a process for giving effective feedback to encourage a job well-done as well as meaningful insight change.
5. Executing Difficult Conversations. Learn how not to avoid critical conversations and have a process to follow when executing them.
6. Building an Effective Team. Identify and practice the behaviors that build great teamwork.
7. Dealing with Conflict. Develop a process for handling conflict in the workplace.

Some of these topics we have visited and some we will visit in the future. Please continue to join me on our leadership journey. Re-look at your near and long term goals and get feedback from others on their view on the seven points above. If necessary, pursue self and staff development to reach the goals you so richly deserve.