Far fewer can say whether their leadership team agrees on the top three priorities.
I recently wrote about Profitless Prosperity: revenue up, profit flat, and the owner busier than ever. The natural next question is where to start.
A Simple Post-it Test for Your Next Leadership Meeting
Start here. At your next leadership meeting:
Give each leader a few large Post-its.
In private, each one writes the company’s top three priorities for the next 90 days. No talking, no peeking.
One at a time, each leader walks up, sticks their Post-its on the wall, and explains why they chose them.
Then step back and look at the wall.
What the Wall Is Telling You
If the Post-its line up, you have something rare. Protect it.
If they’re scattered, you’ve just found where your profit is going. Misaligned priorities show up as stalled projects, rework, meetings that end without decisions, and every tie getting sent back to the owner.
Why Profitable Prosperity Starts With the Leadership Team
Profitable Prosperity starts with a decision. Once a decision has been made, there must be clarity. Clarity creates alignment. Alignment unlocks execution.
That’s why I start with the leadership team, not the owner alone. The owner’s vision only becomes the company’s direction when the team can say it in their own words.
Try it and tell me what your wall looked like.
A Question for Advisors of Founder-Led Companies
If you advise founder-led companies, try one question with your next owner client: “Would your leadership team name the same top three priorities you would?” The pause before the answer tells you a lot.
Curious what your wall would look like? The Baseline Business Assessment gives you an objective look at five vital signs of your business: People, Purpose, Playbooks, Performance, and Profit. Take the free Baseline Business Assessment.