Roundtable Takeaways

WOW! What a great CEO Roundtable! “Are You Thinking Too Small?” More than 20 CEOs joined us for a candid discussion about growth, people, and the role of the CEO.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• When growth stalls, ask what you know for sure. We know the current approaches haven’t produced the desired result. That’s the starting point for rethinking the problem.

• What activity drives your revenue goal? Your real number is the first Meaningful Interaction. How many Mis does Marketing need to generate?

• Invest in people before there’s a problem. How extensive is your training program? Do you test for results? What is your employee retention program?

• Build a company that can function without you. That question led to a discussion about delegation, leadership development, succession, and documented processes. It also matters to a potential buyer: a business that depends entirely on its CEO carries greater risk.

• Make sure growth improves the business. More revenue does not automatically mean stronger margins or cash flow. As a company expands, its leadership capacity and financial performance need to grow with it. We used this profitability diagnostic to help frame that discussion.

Our question for you is: Which one of these areas would make the greatest difference in your business over the next 30 days?

If you’d like to talk it through, I’d welcome the conversation. I regularly meet one-on-one with CEOs to discuss their strategies, at no charge.