As a business leader, you are by default, also a teacher and encourager.

Whether it is by example or through overt instruction, it is your responsibility to educate your associates about the vision and mission of your company… In other words, where your company is going and why it exists. Yet, many company leaders assume that their managers and staff understand and are totally on board with these things…

As it turns out, this may or may not be true.

Without a strong and nimble leadership team fully committed to their own professional development and to those who report to them, your plans for the future of your company may end up well…  being a bust.

As you consider the actions that will increase your company’s value, it is important to know the level of competency and buy-in of your team. Are they ready to take an informed leap of faith to the next level with you?

For you to achieve the business results that you desire, you’ve got to be willing to invest professionally developing your team. They’ll be responsible for executing the activities that will drive the strategies that will get the results you need. If the people are not emotionally or intellectually prepared to do what is asked of them, they need to be taught and counseled. If they are not capable of change, they should be reassigned or as a last resort exited from the company.

This is where a strong business plan, able leadership, and a systematic follow-up planning mechanism can pay rich dividends. The objectives you have set, the strategies, and the action plans that are developed will involve people who can execute them. It’s your job to make sure they are ready and able to do so with the right resources at their disposal.

This is where the recruiting and retention part comes in…

The start of a new chapter in your company’s future can be the start of a strong top-down commitment to continuous learning and professional development for all levels of staff. The type of organization will tend to excel in performance because the organization’s people are prepared to do their jobs and think beyond the obvious.

Such a company will be a talent attractor, for most new people want to be trained and coached to perform their jobs competently. Top performers don’t usually want to be part mediocre organization and no “A players” want to feel career-stymied in a standstill, failing, or claustrophobic organization. That is why your full commitment to continuous learning is so critically important to your company’s recruiting and retention efforts.

Professional development is one thing… application is something else.

As you assess monthly and quarterly results associated with your business plan’s objectives’ achievement, it will be clear what groups or individuals are making the level of contribution you need of them. The One Page Planning and Performance System’s 1:1 Check-in feature is a simple way to direct more resources, development, or encouragement to those team members who may be struggling. It may be that the group leader doesn’t understand the assignment or cannot muster his staff to complete quality work on time.

Maybe it’s a dysfunctional work team that is not getting results because they don’t play well together. Or maybe it’s a key employee who is suffering some sort of personal crisis about which they won’t openly speak or address. These check-ins on business results may help you to pinpoint the performance issue, address it prescriptively, and resolve it.

Most employees want to hear the “what” and “why” and “how” they can be more helpful in making the company a bigger success. When you can achieve this level of buy-in, you’ve got the makings of a success story. But don’t let down your guard. Keep developing your people, or some competitor will!