1. Hire the Right People. This one is pretty obvious, right? As author Jim Collins is fond of saying, “get the right people on the bus and either get them in the right seat or get them off the bus.” When was the last time you had a deep evaluation of your talent selection processes? Do your job descriptions spec out the ideal candidate’s critical thinking, relating and striving talents in addition to the core competencies (skills), experience and education? Do you use assessments to help you identify good team and cultural fit? Do you utilize a board interview process?

2. Onboard With Excellence. Onboarding is the process of bringing a new employee into the organization and helping them get up to full speed while removing common obstacles to rapid growth. Does your organization have a written onboarding plan to hand to every new hire that outlines his or her first few months on the job? Is every hour of their first few months clearly spec’d out, with outcomes for each part of their onboarding? Is the employee gaining exposure to key senior staff and important functions with whom they may interface?

3. Clearly Defined and Visible Expectations. Unless people clearly understand the specific desired outcomes of their work, it is likely that people will choose their own interpretation of what those objectives mean. What is your process for setting clear expectations? Do employees know why they are asked to meet the expectations and the impact on the organization, its customers and employees when expectations are met? Do they know how and when progress will be measured?

4. Alignment Around KPIs. KPIs – key performance indicators – are the five or six measurements that reflect the health of your organization. Are KPIs part of every manager’s regular meetings with staff? Are KPIs part of your performance evaluation process? Are KPIs embedded in the organization’s proposed business plans? If I were to go to any employee in your organization and ask him or her what he or she is working on, could clearly they tell me how their work impacts the company’s KPIs?

5. Create a Coaching Culture. Teaching is equipping people with new knowledge and skills, while coaching is helping people to master skills, talents and knowledge. Many organizations have decent teaching approaches; fewer have created a culture of coaching people to achieve excellence. Do supervisors regularly ask employees what is going well about what they are working on, and what isn’t going as well as expected? Are they asked what they have learned about the process, and what they think we could improve? Are there several hours of one-on-one coaching to support every hour of teaching?