Moving to Excellent

You’ve laid a solid foundation, and now it’s time to build on that success. This is where you refine your processes and introduce more advanced practices. Think of it as moving from good to great—you’re on the right track, and these steps will help you get even better.

Leadership Effectiveness

Take a moment to review your org chart. Is it aligned with the organization you need to grow into? Are there gaps (or efficiencies) that you should address? How do you want to tackle those (you’ll have to prioritize where to focus).

Also, do you have the right people? Are there specific gaps (or conflicts) you need to address? Do you have a powerful diverse team? Letting any gaps persist or issues fester is a recipe for disaster. It is a hard fact, but you also need to be brutally honest with yourself about who you have in those roles – the people that got you to where you are (including yourself) may not be the people that you need to get you to where you need to go. How do you want to address that?

Focus on building a culture of feedback, where everyone feels comfortable giving and receiving feedback, good or bad, in the spirit in which it is intended. Build a team of emotionally intelligent leaders who are willing to hear good and bad feedback and integrate it into their work. Consider other leadership development programs, both to invest in the leaders you have and build up the next generation.

Finally, ensure that each member of the leadership team (and ideally the staff) have a clear understanding of their performance objectives and standards. And hold yourself accountable for the same standards.

Practices

Now let’s focus on how you do your work.

Over the last few years, hybrid and remote work have been the norm. Improving your practices here will increase your overall employee satisfaction (and productivity). Be explicit about what your practices are, and invite feedback and collaboration on what they can be.

Lean into the tools of performance-driven change to keep the organization moving forward. For instance, LAist leaned into the tools and practices introduced into our industry through the Media Transformation Challenge and Table Stakes to power their DEI task force. These tools truly engage employees where they are and provide important frameworks for actually driving change.

Project management is key for getting anything done. We asked you on the questions how effective your practices are – now think about what is working well (and not) with them. This is the time to think about tools or supports. Who are the leads for each of your projects? Do you have or need dedicated managers who can oversee the process and execution?

Focus on breaking down internal silos and fostering collaboration. Consider implementing regular strategy sessions where everyone can openly discuss workflow improvements. And put some thought into who needs to be supported and empowered (your volunteers, for instance as noted in the PDC framework above, are great examples of employees you should consciously support). And are the right people empowered to do the work you need to do?

Finally, step in and support your employees by consciously focusing on avoiding burnout.

People and Culture

Focus on building a culture of trust where leaders confidently delegate tasks and empower their teams. Rotate team leads on interdepartmental projects to enhance collaboration and provide leadership opportunities. Regularly assess workloads and encourage healthy work-life balance at all levels. Model these behaviors as a leadership team to foster a culture of self-care and sustainability.