Safety Inspection …. Of Your Management Team

Many people “winterize” their car for the cold weather. We may be in for a year-long winter in business. Smart CEOs will ensure that the vehicle (company) they’re driving will be safe during the rough roads ahead.

The big question is: Do you have the “A” players it will take to survive 2009 safely – with no loss in revenue or profitability? Next year’s “pie” is smaller – will your share be big enough?

Here’s a list of five key things to include in a “Safety Inspection” (mini-assessment) of your management team to ensure you can safely get through 2009.

1. Alignment – Are your key managers aligned when it comes to critical goals, and are they moving toward them?
2. Mileage – Do you have SMART goals established for each key leader, to get the most from them?
3. Acceleration – Can your people accelerate your market share, getting a bigger piece of the smaller pie next year?
4. Collision Impact Resistance: When you go head to head with your competitors can you beat them by being unique, special, better, faster, etc.?
5. Resale Value: Can you maintain the value of your company by holding on to EBITDA, positioning, etc.?