1. How many different sales forces should we have?
2. How should they be structured and staffed?
3. What degree of specialization is needed?
4. What is the appropriate mix of in-house and outsourced activities?
5. What resource levels should be dedicated to each sales force?
6. What determines the boundaries between the sales forces?

Authors: Adrian J. Slywotzky, Benson P. Shapiro, Stephen X. Doyle
Source: Strategic Sales Management: A boardroom issue
Subject: Sales Questions

Preparation for a crisis is just as crucial as the response. We recommend that leaders start with their organization’s people, processes, and technology. Here are six essential questions for leaders to ask as they evaluate the operational resilience of this triad:

1. Are we sufficiently prepared for problems when they arise?
2. Are there clear roles and responsibilities for business continuity?
3. What are our risks involving automated software updates?
4. Are

… [ Read more ]

Authors: Anita Lynch, Hise Gibson
Source: Post-CrowdStrike Six Questions to Test Your Company’s Operational Resilience
Subjects: IT Questions, Risk Management Questions

Here are the things to think through when you are building a compensation strategy.

1. What Is Your Compensation Philosophy? Start with your compensation philosophy. Identify the principles and practices your organization uses to make compensation decisions:
   • Do you generally make offers at the midpoint of the market rate for that role, or is it usually higher or lower? Why?
   • What are the important considerations for how

… [ Read more ]

Author: Kent Plunkett
Source: How To Hone Your Compensation Strategy
Subject: Human Resources Questions

Here are some crucial things to think about when designing a leadership development process:

• Is it on-going or a one-time training event? Leadership development, just like personal development, is a process and cannot be accomplished in one sitting.
• Have you identified what your leaders must know and be able to do in order to be effective? A list of targeted skills and/or abilities (those popular competencies)

… [ Read more ]

Authors: Janet Oliver, Joe DiSabatino
Source: What Executives Need to Know About Developing Their Leaders
Subject: Human Resources Questions

Ecosystems and ecosystem thinking are the lens through which you should view important decisions about your value proposition, as well as about how to capture and deliver value. Below are questions you should ask. 

Value Proposition

• Will ecosystems change where we should compete?
• What unmet customer needs will be most promising?
• What new customer segments might we serve?    

Value Capture

• How can we benefit from value pool shifts?
• Which costs will drive

… [ Read more ]

Authors: Matthew Duffey, Venky Jayaraman, Veronique Roos-Emonds
Source: From stagnation to innovation: Make business model reinvention real
Subject: Strategy Questions

Reset questions are the six questions a team asks when they are resetting the strategy: 

1. What is the situation, and how will this change? 
2. What is success? 
3. Where will we play? 
4. How will we win? 
5. What will stop us? 
6. What should we do?

Author: Rebecca Homkes
Source: The Illusion Of Alignment: Why Your Strategy Execution Is Failing
Subject: Strategy Questions

Too many companies suffer from data and technology investments that are siloed by function or business and not clearly connected to the company’s value creation strategy. To go beyond digital, you will need to make a priority of your data and technology strategy and be able to clearly and tangibly demonstrate how it directly enables your company’s place in the world and your plan for … [ Read more ]

Authors: Mahadeva Matt Mani, Paul Leinwand
Source: Seven imperatives for moving beyond digital
Subject: IT Questions

In a percentage answer, in your 1:1s, how often do you…    

1. Schedule 1:1s in advance on a recurring basis?     
2. Have an agenda for your 1:1s?    
3. Involve your direct report(s) in the creation of that agenda?    
4. Review notes from the previous 1:1 before your next 1:1?    
5. Promptly reschedule canceled 1:1s?    
6. Start 1:1s positively?    
7. Show up on time?    
8. Start with topics provided by your direct report(s)?    
9. Briefly revisit action items from the previous 1:1?    
10. Actively listen to

… [ Read more ]

Authors: Gabriela Riccardi, Steven Rogelberg
Source: Managers take this simple assessment to hold better one-on-one meetings
Subject: Management Questions

1. Where did we predict we would be now? 
2. Where are we actually? 
3. What did we learn from any gap between the two? 
4. What are the most consequential barriers to meeting the goal (and how do we know)? 
5. Who owns the decision rights on them?

Author: Bill Lescher
Source: Lessons from the U.S. Navy on Building a Culture of Learning
Subject: Management Questions

1. When did you last review how you allocate your time?
2. How much time do you spend a week actively reflecting on your strategy and priorities?
3. Structured versus open: How much of your calendar is unplanned?
4. Drumbeat versus flow: How much of your calendar doesn’t follow a set routine?
5. Operator versus counselor: How much time do you spend problem solving with teams (rather than attending business update and review meetings)?
6. Ambassador

… [ Read more ]

Authors: Jeff Hill, Xavier Mosquet
Source: For CEOs It’s About Time
Subjects: CEO / Executive Questions, Management Questions