We too find it challenging to make the time to do this, but when we do we are never sorry we did it. If nothing else, it helps you to re-enter that fast-paced world with confidence you are doing the right things or will be making important shifts that will help improve the business.

As we have researched, interviewed organizational leaders, and reflected on what are the vital few things a business needs to target if it wants to be able to build and sustain success, it really does boil down to just a few things. Since we believe keeping the message simple often also keeps the thought clear of mind, here are four key areas:

First is Focus; doing the right things.

Is your mission or purpose really clear to your employees? Yes, businesses are about making money, but why does your business exist? What does it bring to the marketplace that is valued by potential customers or clients? Mission statements are not just to satisfy some consultant's checklist of things business leaders must do. They are statements of direction that help focus employees on what ultimately they are working to achieve. Also, Vision statements are mission statements that are projected into the future. What will we accomplish or become in three or five or ten years if we are very successful in fulfilling our mission? Core Values are not just nice words that can describe any organization. For your business, what are the absolutes you expect all employees to live by as they do their work each day? What do you want employees to understand are not negotiable? Mission – Vision – Values ….. all help create focus by setting the stage to identify the overall business strategy, to develop specific goals and objectives, and to assist all functions within the organization to plan and execute their work.

Second is Execution; doing those things that are important, effectively.

This is the world of process improvement and performance management. This is the pursuit of excellence, always looking at processes or practices, or even behaviors, and identifying how we can do them better the next time.

Execution requires the Right People, a third key area.

Organizations need employees who are both competent in executing their work activities and committed to doing whatever is required to be successful. A business must hire, develop and retain a team of employees who identifies the right things and then does them right.

The fourth and last area is Mindset.

The fourth and last area is not as obvious as the first three. Because execution and committed employees is so dependent on the way an employee chooses to view their world, this last area, Mindset, also deserves significant attention. A person's way of thinking will significantly impact their attitudes or the choices he or she makes. Those choices translate into the behaviors that are demonstrated on a daily basis; and those behaviors not only impact that person's performance but also the performance of those around him or her. Mindset is a powerful, productive tool when it is nurtured and cultivated to be aligned with the business focus and what is expected of employees. It can maximize the other three areas or it can minimize them.

So, there are four areas worth your attention. They are simple to identify but complicated and complex to deal with; just four, but there are many supporting pieces behind them. Stepping back and reflecting on these areas provide the opportunity to not only ask how well is my business handling them but how well am I fulfilling my role as a business leader to build a sustainable company that will not only succeed today but also into the future.

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