With the continual pressure to do more with less, everyone is on overload. For that reason, it’s easy to go on automatic. When this happens, we tend to do what we’ve always done, rarely thinking about whether we’re on the right path to business growth. Yet more productive ways of conducting business can be right around the corner.

For those who can get off the merry-go-round for just a day, answering the questions below can provide a wealth of knowledge, generate internal synergy, identify a unified corporate direction, clarify focus and produce a greater understanding of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of your organization. While it might seem like daunting task, we encourage you to block out the time and take this self-evaluation with your colleagues. The answers can help get everyone on the same page—poised for greater engagement, renewed passion and total commitment to business success. So let’s get started.

Questions to Address Business Growth

1. What is our purpose? (Why are we in business?)
2. What is our vision and mission and are they known and understood throughout the organization?
3. How do we recruit, train and retain the best employees?
4. What is the profile of our current customers?
5. What is our customer retention rate and how can we increase it?
6. What are we doing to attract new customers and retain existing ones?
7. What are our customers’ and prospects’ needs, preferences and challenges?
8. What is our customer experience?
9. What is our value proposition?
10. How are we different from the competition?
11. What’s holding us back from reaching the level of success we seek?
12. What does our leadership team do well; where do we need to improve?
13. How can we ensure that we remain relevant in the future?
14. What do we need to do more of? Less of?
15. What are our strategies for growth?
16. Are we measuring the right metrics?
17. Do we have the right people in place?
18. Are we leveraging our product/service sweet spot?
19. How are our products/services being used in unexpected ways?
20. How do we define and nurture our corporate culture?

Additional Business Growth Questions

1. How likely is it that a customer would recommend our company to a friend, family member or colleague?
2. What one word do we want our employees, customers and partners to associate with our company?
3. Where are our gaps in knowledge, skill or experience?
4. Do our employees have the opportunity to do what they do best every day?
5. Are we outsourcing effectively?
6. What opportunities are we missing?
7. If we closed our doors tomorrow, would anyone care?
8. To what can we attribute our success?
9. How does our company help our community?
10. What is our brand story?
11. Are our strategies and tactics aligned with organizational goals?
12. What are greatest achievements and what can we learn from them?
13. What are our greatest failures and what can we learn from them?
14. What legacy do we want to leave behind?

Sustaining Growth

The answers to these questions will give you a new perspective. You’ll see where there are gaps and where to focus your time and resources. Remember, every day and every action represent a chance to remake your company. Continuous evaluation and improvement are keys to sustained growth.