Leadership comes down to the quality of your presence in the marketplace. Building brands customers love and can’t live without requires strategic and creative focus. Take this self-assessment to establish a baseline of your current levels of brand building effectiveness.
In a growing early stage business, founders will always experience the dynamic tension between efficiency (doing things right) and effectiveness (doing the right things). It’s of critical importance that you and your leadership have clarity on the gap between your current circumstances and your bigger better future.
For each of the following statements, rank your business on a scale of 1-5.
1 is weak, 5 is strong. Honesty without over thinking is what we’re after here.
1) We have a clear vision for our future that is understood and shared by everyone in the company.
2) Our core values are clear and drive decisions to build our culture around them.
3) Our core business focus is clear and our business systems and process is organized around it.
4) Our target customer segment is clear and our positioning, marketing and sales tactics are focused on that segment.
5) Our key differentiators from competitors are clear and our marketing and sales activities communicate them consistently.
6) We have a proven, scalable process for how we deliver value to our customers that is documented and all our employees understand it and operate by it.
7) Our leadership team is open, honest and demonstrates high levels of trust and integrity within our organization and in our industry.
8) All our people are the “right “people who share our values and live our culture and promise to customers.
9) Our leadership team meets weekly, same day, same time, starts and ends on time resolving key issues at hand.
10) We have key performance metrics for every aspect of our business that are tracked and measured weekly.
11) We have systems in place that gather, monitor and listen to feedback from customers, employees and stakeholders so we know their levels of satisfaction.
12) We are attracting the right growth partners who are investing in the growth of our business.
Now total your score.
If your score is above 50, congratulations! You have created a well-oiled machine primed and ready to take a quantum leap to the next level of growth and scale.
If your score is between 30-50, your business is on the right trajectory, but your speed toward meeting your objectives can be enhanced by strengthening your focus on what’s important rather than the urgent. Strengthen what’s working. Change what’s not.
If your score is below 30, your brand is a candidate for transformation. You might consider embarking on a comprehensive examination of what your business / brand stands for, why that matters to whom, and how your desired image and reputation shapes your competitive advantage and business growth. Clarity breeds confidence. Confidence breeds traction and momentum.
If you would like expert guidance on conducting an audit and assessment on the overall health and well being of your early growth brand, let’s have a conversation.
If you found this post helpful, subscribe to the INFLUENCE blog.