As collecting data becomes easier and more widespread, with the introduction of new software, it can be understandably difficult to keep on top of. The key to utilising your data is identifying what key performance indicators are most relevant and communicating them clearly to the right people.

One of the most difficult aspects of being a leader is concluding relationships that do not profit your organisation. However, this is necessary if you want your business to progress in line with its potential.

Short sightedness, or giving insufficient attention to the future, can develop easily. Working within our comfort zones can become increasingly tempting as a company grows, where decision-making can seem less vital. This can result in leaders disregarding innovation, believing their existing approach to be successful and therefore, being no need for adjustment.

For company leaders particularly, a week in the office can seem like being pulled in a hundred different directions as they tick off, firefight, or deal with a great variety of tasks. Whilst nobody could accuse these leaders of a lack of diligence, does having a lack of coherent focus mean their business is running below potential?

Frustration occurs when reality falls short of an expected outcome. Leaders will be familiar with this feeling, as running a functioning company isn’t easy, even for the most experienced businesspeople. Therefore, if we accept that discontent will be present at some point or another, then it’s how we should approach these situations that is worth considering.

Storytelling has been a valued art since the beginning of human civilisation. Those who could most effectively communicate gained authority and prestige. The fact that Homer’s Odyssey is still studied on syllabuses today is testament to the value our society puts in telling a good tale. Beyond fiction however, creating an engaging narrative is also a vital tool in inspiring others and recruiting them to your cause.

Ensuring your people, processes and systems are running to the best of their ability, sounds like the logical thing all businesses should doing, but it is surprising how easily this gets forgotten. Amongst the natural evolution organisations undergo as they scale, maximising efficiency can get lost, as new initiatives take up the finite resources and energy available.

Whilst I want my clients to aim high and realise their ambitions, these things are not attainable without work. Each transformation requires thorough preparation not only to attain the desired outcome, but more importantly to guarantee it’s a success. Planning ahead and ensuring the relevant parts of your business are ready for a new initiative is vital, otherwise this progress in unsustainable.

With so many options, the modern consumer is fickle. Each time they purchase, they must weigh up whether they want to buy the cheap or quality option. Effective marketing will help, but its influence is only temporary. To maintain your reputation, it is important to provide a consistent and positive offering to your clients.

As the leader of a company, you are expected to define and exhibit the attributes you would like to see amongst your colleagues and employees.

Creating a healthy culture in your organisation is an enormous step towards sustaining success. If people are ambitious to meet, or exceed, their targets, feel valued for doing so and are part of a cohesive and caring team, then your company performance will demonstrate this.

Each piece of data tells its own story, which might only be relevant to a certain people within your organisation. The challenge is presenting this information as coherently and concisely as possible, so the right people can make the right decisions from it.

The effect your organisation has on its employees, clients and the wider community is important. As well as the positive reputation you will gain, which will in turn stimulate your income, pleasing your people, finding a solution to their problems and offering a valuable service to your local area is fulfilling.

Your stakeholder groups provide a good gauge of your company performance, as you are accountable to each to fulfil your end of the deal. For employees this might constitute scope for promotion, for clients this might be offering technical support with a product. If one of your stakeholder groups is dissatisfied this instantly signals that your organisation is getting something wrong.

Whilst I appreciate it can be difficult to business leaders to find the time, energy and resources to implement the changes they would like to see, there is another complication. Deciding the nature of the change, whether this should be gradual, rapid, incremental or wholesale, is vital if you are to the reach your aspirational point.

An enormous part of what makes professional athletes so successful is how they utilise their ‘off season.’ This is time outside of the competitive calendar, where they rest and prepare for upcoming events. I would suggest that businesses and their leaders would also profit from similar periods of recuperation and preparation.

Objectivity is difficult to achieve when something is familiar, so when you work five-day-a-week within an organisation, its unique way of functioning can seem like the only option. However, it is vital that you identify the invisible resistors within, so your business can advance beyond its current performances. As well as this, letting these suboptimal elements persist can be more damaging than you might imagine.

Thinking about the future can be both an exciting and frustrating activity. It is engaging to conceive what could be evolved or created, but can be disheartening to consider all the things you wish to change. Whatever your mindset, it is important you use this reflection to rethink your current challenges and future opportunities….

It feels naturally wrong to pre-suppose upcoming events. However, I would argue that strategy is as much to do with the past and the present, which inform the likelihood of what will happen next.

Therefore, if you feel on top of your work now, it’s conceivable that you will be on top of it in the future. Don’t be phased.

As a leader, you must inspire those around you. This might sound quite grandiose, but this essentially means utilising other people, whether this is employees, clients, or suppliers. Beyond having a concept for the future of the organisation and knowing what actions to take to attain this, getting others to understand these concepts and buy into them, is the mark of a truly inspirational leader.

As a business grows it is not uncommon that a leader can feel unfulfilled by the way it has developed. This is confusing, because it’s successful, profitable and from an external perspective seems to be running well. However, conventional success does not always translate into personal satisfaction.