The CEO role is critical. We have yet to see a successful SME / SMB Business Excellence implementation led by other than the CEO. The CEO must become the ‘Excellence Leader’ and drive, not merely participate in, the implementation.

CEO Role in Business Excellence Implementation – What not to do!

Nothing kills an implementation faster than a CEO that accepts nomination at the inaugural strategic planning workshop to be the Process Manager of an agreed Key Process, and then not do their part in specifying the KPIs necessary to monitor its ongoing performance. Similarly, the impact on others is devastating if the CEO fails to fulfil their responsibility for sponsoring quarterly fast process improvement projects for their own assigned Key Process.

Regular reviews of business performance

The CEO of course should also chair the Management Team’s monthly and quarterly reviews of progress. These reviews should refer to an available dashboard of KPIs of two types:  1) KPIs that measure the health of the organization’s Key Processes – i.e. how well the business is being RUN on a day to day basis  2) KPIs that measure the progressive achievement of the organization’s agreed strategic Objectives – i.e. how well the business will CHANGE for the better over the planning period. All KPIs fit into one or other of these two categories. This sure beats the traditional ‘ad hoc’ approach to formulating KPIs. Click here if you would like to know more about how to set up the right KPIs in the pursuit of Business Excellence.

CEO role in facilitating key workshops?

Few CEOs, however, are equipped to facilitate intense 1- or 2-day workshops for either Strategic Planning or for Business Process Reengineering (BPR). Indeed, there is a strong case for them NOT to attempt to facilitate these workshops. Instead, they should be active participants – unfettered by the need to keep each workshop on track with what needs to be achieved in the limited time available. So, who facilitates the workshops? More on this critical aspect in the next Post. For details of the overall approach to implementing excellence in your business, click here>