It’s easy to get excited about your new business strategy – you’ve assessed the market, evaluated the competition and developed a compelling offering that will position you for success. Now comes the hard part – execution. Unless you are a sole trader you are going to be heavily dependant on your employees to determine the extent of your success. No matter how great your strategy it can fail in numerous ways if your people don’t implement it correctly.

The larger your business becomes, the more you are dependant on others and the more important it is that you can achieve through your team. Training is obviously a part of the equation but most people develop fastest when they are given new responsibilities and challenges. Unless you want your employees to be the limiting factor in your success you need them to grow with you and deliver more over time. So how do you give people the right amount of challenge? It’s a bit like holding the safety rope as someone climbs a cliff face – if you don’t let the rope pay out they can’t progress, but if you give them too much slack and they fall it will not be a pleasant landing. On balance, though, people tend not to be stretched enough and to develop too slowly as a result.

Another key issue is hiring – if you hire the best people, lead them effectively and constantly challenge them then you’ll be rewarded with an organization fit not only to deliver on the plans you develop but to build on them and drive you to the next level. The power of a well-chosen, trained, energized and motivated team can be an awesome thing to experience.