Large and small organizations are searching for the cutting edge strategies that will set them apart from their competition.  I meet with CEOs all over the country to learn more about their needs in various areas – business development, marketing, operations and governmental relations.  Most of my past work has centered on restructuring companies, advising management on effective ways to grow the enterprise and helping to develop key relationships in the market to improve access to financial resources, earned media opportunities and connections in government.

Here are some critical lessons gleaned from past client engagements that any business owner or executive can benefit from:

Define a Clear Agenda with Key Priorities

It’s critical to have a well defined agenda when you enter a new leadership role in any organization.  Whether you’ve accepted a role in a company requiring a turnaround or the board promoted you to execute a growth plan – clear and concise goals tied to a strategic action plan can make or break your efforts.

Effective Branding and Communication

There is an old phrase circulated throughout the business universe – “It’s not enough to do good, but you have to be seen doing good.”

I’ve advised incredible corporate leaders running great companies, but often the primary reason for lagging sales, falling brand engagement or undisciplined employees – the executive is not visible.  Employees work harder when they see the boss working harder, customer volume increases when your most loyal fans see what you’re doing to deliver value and sales will rise with more dedicated employees and customers.

Messaging Matters

If you don’t receive complete buy in from all involved in communicating and executing the initiatives, then even the most well crafted plans will fail.  I’ve worked closely with executive management teams that believe they know best, so consciously choose not to engage other mid-level managers, opting to simply push the plan out when it’s ready.  However a complete plan doesn’t encourage managers and employees to offer ideas, fully engage in the stated goals and be a real peer champion when it’s time for implementation.  Most often they will sit on the sidelines, point out flaws in the plan and secretly cheer on it’s demise.

Be Self-Aware

The most successful executives are self-aware, I don’t necessarily have to tell them what’s going wrong in their organization, the power of self-awareness helps owners and managers recognize the company is not meeting its potential.  But they may not understand how to repair the situation or perhaps they simply need someone to hold them accountable while they work through a plan to correct issues.  Business owners and executive managers that are unable to see challenges give me pause far quicker than self-aware leaders who are simply struggling with execution.

Attract the Best and Brightest Talent

Many organizations are too inwardly focused, not capable of looking at their people objectively, most times allowing deep personal relationships to prevent them from placing the right person in the appropriate position.  I am a firm believer that companies should hire from within, but it’s also just as important to recognize when you may not have the necessary talent for a renewed corporate vision.  It’s a hard pill to swallow, but you should be quick to fire and slow to hire, waiting with patience until you find the star player who can take your company to the next level.