The 7 C's of Leadership

Culture determines whether your team executes with excellence or just goes through the motions. This section evaluates how deliberately you have shaped the values, behaviors and standards that define your organization, from how often it is revisited to whether the newest hire could explain it.

Your ability to harness collective intelligence determines how quickly the team solves problems and executes strategy. This section evaluates the systems and culture you have built for collaboration: strategic involvement, cross-department work, dissent, meeting rhythm and face time.

How well the business survives unexpected disruption comes down to the systems built before the crisis. This section evaluates reserve capital, revenue diversification, position redundancy and how the team responded to the last interruption.

A team cannot build momentum when the ground keeps shifting. This section evaluates how consistently you lead yourself and your operations: your routine, your operational rhythm, how often objectives and active projects change, and cash flow consistency.

Leaders who cannot say where they are going in 5, 10 or 20 years are guessing their way through today's decisions. This section evaluates long-term vision, exit strategy, your definition of success and the business's next evolution.

You cannot lead others well if you do not lead yourself first. This section evaluates self-awareness of your skills and weaknesses, your life plan and goals, your priorities and life categories, and your values.

Stagnant thinking leads to stagnant results. This section evaluates whether you have built systems for generating ideas, how the team handles creative risk, where ideas originate, and whether failure is treated as learning or a reason to play it safe.