It could be your competition has them.

Or an organization in a parallel industry (more on that in a minute).

Or very different industry, entirely.

But smart people and organizations have likely tried to tackle – and may have mastered — what you’re up against.  (Starbucks recruited Chipotle’s CEO for a reason.)

In my work with senior leadership teams, we do small experiments to find solutions for their greatest challenges.  What kinds of challenges?  Consistent accountability and communication to get the CEO or team’s leader out of the role of ‘hub’; anticipatory leadership vs being on autopilot; team members leading their teams to better performance and accountability; and accelerating on-time execution, as examples.  Those experiments often lead to internal best practices that deliver significant business results.

I think of these best practices as best because they’re developed from the inside.  They fit like a glove to the specifics of the team and organization, rather than applying something external and making it fit.  Internal best practices also tend to have buy-in and accountability from the entire team.

There’s a lot to be learned from the inside.

And, yet.

The inside can be made better by the learning we seek from the outside.

As an example, in talking with the Executive Director of a non-profit recently, I recommended looking to their parallel industry of healthcare for best practices on resilience and retention of front line workers.  Any hospital ER is staffed by first responders.  And all were put through the ringer during the pandemic.  There are likely not only best practices to be gleaned, but lessons learned, particularly for when crisis hits.

What does this mean for you?

A mini checklist to consider:

How often do you seek outside information?

Are you investigating the best practices of your competitors?

How about parallel industries, as in the example above?

Do you have external resources to draw upon, not only in crisis but as you grow?  Are you reading key publications, attending select conferences, talking with close colleagues?

And, lastly, do you have a trusted outside resource who is a confidant, thought partner, and brings a strategic perspective?

Coming soon in the blog: How to Build Your Kitchen Cabinet

For more on working with me directly, you can find some of my most popular offerings here and here.  If you don’t see what you’re looking for, drop me a note: sarah@sarah-levitt.com  If you are preparing for a more visible, more responsible role (or have landed in one and are drinking from a firehose), coaching senior executives in those circumstances is one of my specialties.  Go here to download a free copy of my 6 Essential Factors for Leading in a New Role.

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