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Despite reviews being a widespread practice, business units still fall short of their goals. A number of organizations use the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) method, although opinions vary on its efficacy. The review process in most organizations suffers from being unfocused and uncandid and using tools for review that are not structurally defined. Reviews must primarily track and assess the relevance of a destination, the direction of progress toward the destination, and the momentum needed to reach the destination before someone else gets there. Reviews should be asking questions on an ongoing basis: What is working and what is not? What needs to be escalated, how, and by whom if intended outcomes are not manifesting? What dependencies are impeding or facilitating the outcomes needed to achieve the goals? Strong strategic reviews are those where leaders and managers have focused on five objectives: 1) assess the manager’s understanding of the measures used to evaluate progress toward a goal; 2) evaluate the manager’s acumen; 3) judge the manager’s ability to navigate market uncertainties, understand customers’ needs, and make decisions; 4) scrutinize the operational plan and the events the team must successfully manage to move toward the goal; and 5) consider the manager’s ability to utilize resources amid unforeseen contingencies.

There is no question that coaching has accelerated leadership development at companies big and small, including some of the most successful members of the Fortune 500 club. But what exactly is coaching, and why is its importance growing significantly in the corporate world? Despite all the ambiguity that surrounds coaching, there are three fundamental principles associated with the process of helping people identify the blind spots that derail them from progress and effectiveness as well as the sweet spots that accelerate their journey through the realization of potential. These are: 1. Coaching leads the coachee to revisit his/her assumptions — the core engine of belief systems. 2. Coaching triggers the coachee to review his/her image in the light of feedback from his/her surroundings. 3. Coaching enables the coachee to update his/her portrait. Executive coaches help coachees stress-test ideas, viewpoints, and perspectives before they are vocalized. They do so by addressing executive isolation, providing strategic sound-boarding, and creating a safe and motivating feedback loop for change. Accomplished coaches systematically lead their coachees to see their resistance to change, examine the root causes of this resistance, and understand how resistance limits personal growth and transformation.

People are wired to respond to similar situations and stimuli in pre-set ways without realizing it. With limited brain power at our disposal, we create standard operating procedures and habits to keep mental bandwidth free to handle complex tasks. Subconsciously setting defaults likely cannot be avoided. In fact, it is often desirable — otherwise, our brains would be drained in trying to meet daily responsibilities. However, it is harmful to fall victim to one’s default settings, which happens when autopilot behaviours run counter to what we would do if we were controlled by our conscious mind. Three common casualties of slipping into default are discretion, objectivity and moderation. After observing many leaders who effectively manage their default settings, the author suggests the following steps: a) awareness — understanding that we all have defaults and the potential for unwanted actions can prompt reflection that leads to corrective actions; b) always be on the lookout; c) seek feedback — create a network of trusted people empowered to provide feedback; d) log defaults — keep a record of your slippages into default to assist in the development of insights that help you recognize triggers; and e) check expiration dates — nothing stays relevant forever, so use a default log to rethink your standard operating procedures.

Too many CEOs believe they need to have all the answers, all the time. But companies are run well by asking questions, not having all the answers. Not understanding this sets leaders on the path to failure. This article argues that the best way for CEOs to harness the skills of others is by using the listening–sensing–observing troika. 1. Listening: Simply by listening to both customers and employees, CEOs can break the glass ceiling of imagination. While most organizations strive to hear customers, many do so while overlooking the need to hear employees. And when employees are not adequately heard, good ideas are left unexpressed and employees underperform and appear to lack skills. 2. Sensing: During the growth phase, organizations commonly develop slack in the system, which impedes fresh thinking and creates a lack of perceptiveness regarding market trends and customer preferences. To battle the slack buildup, companies need a detecting culture that can uncover hidden problems and identify unwanted behaviours. 3. Observing: CEOs must always be on the lookout for what is portrayed in rosy pictures painted by employees, as well as what is deliberately being hidden by growth and success.