LEADERSHIP
Operating the Team
Performance Management and Accountability
Strong leadership teams define and track performance with clarity—driving alignment, growth, and accountability across the business.
TIME COMMITMENT
Setup: 1–2 weeks
Cadence: Monthly check-ins, quarterly reviews
Why This Matters
Clarifies priorities and expectations
Helps identify and resolve performance gaps
Increases transparency in goals and feedback
Supports role evolution and development
Builds a culture of ownership, not oversight
When to Focus On This
Setting quarterly/annual company goals
After first leadership hires
Experiencing inconsistent performance or feedback gaps
How to Complete
Choose a goal framework (OKRs, V2MOM, etc.)
Align company and team goals with leadership responsibilities
Set clear KPIs for each leader or function
Establish monthly/quarterly check-ins
Use structured feedback models (e.g. SBI, feedforward)
Normalize peer and upward feedback
Tie performance to progression and compensation if applicable
Tools
OKR tracking tools (e.g. Ally, Lattice, ClickUp)
Performance review templates
Feedback frameworks (SBI, SKS)
Deliverables
Leadership OKRs or equivalent
Quarterly performance check-in doc
Feedback documentation and goals archive
How to Measure Success
Goal attainment rates
Feedback frequency and quality
Manager and peer satisfaction surveys
Reduced performance surprises
Who Owns This
CEO or COO; functional leads manage direct reports
Get It Right
Keep goals simple and focused
Separate performance from personality
Encourage upward and sideways feedback
Revisit performance plans regularly
Link feedback to development
Don't Make These Mistakes
Only top-down performance reviews
No clear accountability for goals
Feedback without context or follow-up
Over-indexing on lagging metrics
Ignoring performance until it’s a crisis