Every entrepreneur who wants to grow their business needs to stop, observe and reflect. Without a moment of honest self-assessment, no strategy can work, no initiative can have an impact.
That’s why I’m proposing 15 essential questions – simple yet powerful – that will help you understand the level of engagement, culture and organisational maturity within your business.
Answer with intellectual honesty. This is not a test to pass, but a tool to understand if, where and how much action is needed.
The 15 questions for your business self-assessment
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What is really working in my organisation in terms of engagement and productivity?
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What is the best idea I have heard of in another organisation that I would like to bring into mine?
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How does my company currently measure the five enabling factors of employee engagement?
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What actions do I need to take to bridge any gaps?
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How can I ensure my employees are truly motivated rather than merely turning up for work?
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How can I ‘inspire’ all staff, making them an active part of the company’s vision?
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Who can I positively influence within my organisation to accelerate change?
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What concrete evidence can I use to demonstrate that engagement is a strategic necessity?
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How can I transform the current culture into a more engaging and participatory one?
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How can I intervene to change apathetic or disengaged behaviour?
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What steps can I take to build trust among everyone in my organisation?
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How can I formulate a truly sustainable employee engagement strategy?
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How can I increase staff commitment to my vision and shared objectives?
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How can I make my workplace more pleasant, stimulating and ‘alive’?
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What can I do to transform my company into a place where people want to stay, grow and give their best?
Why these questions really matter
These questions are as simple as they are crucial.
They’re not just about your organisation.
They’re about YOU as a leader.
The old era of entrepreneurship, based on the principle of “I can do it all myself”, is over.
Companies grow when entrepreneurs realise that the real competitive advantage today is not procedures, not products, not technology. It is people.
And no one truly commits without a system that fosters:
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trust
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clarity
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listening
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growth
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belonging
This is what defines employee engagement, far more than ad-hoc motivation or isolated incentives.
What to do after answering
If you found it easy to answer all the questions, you’ve probably already understood what works, what doesn’t, and what steps to take.
If, on the other hand, some answers are vague, incomplete or difficult to formulate, it means that:
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there are critical areas within your organisation,
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the level of engagement is unclear,
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the corporate culture may not be aligned with future growth,
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targeted action is needed.
In this case, it’s not a problem: it’s an opportunity.
An entrepreneur who recognises a gap is already ahead of 90% of their competitors.
If you like, I can help you analyse your responses, carry out a comprehensive assessment, or guide you in defining a strategy for engagement and organisational culture.
Bibliography
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Bakker, A. B., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2008). Positive Organisational Behaviour: Engaged Employees in Flourishing Organisations. Journal of Organisational Behaviour.
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Gallup (2023). State of the Global Workplace Report. Gallup Press.
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Kahn, W. A. (1990). Psychological Conditions of Personal Engagement and Disengagement at Work. Academy of Management Journal.
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Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading Change. Harvard Business School Press.
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MacLeod, D., & Clarke, N. (2009). Engaging for Success: Enhancing Performance Through Employee Engagement. UK Government.
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Rousseau, D. (1995). Psychological Contracts in Organisations. Sage Publications.
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Schein, E. H. (2010). Organizational Culture and Leadership. Jossey-Bass.
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Ulrich, D., Brockbank, W. (2005). The HR Value Proposition. Harvard Business Press.
References
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Gallup – Employee Engagement Insights
https://www.gallup.com/workplace -
Engage for Success – UK Government Initiative
https://engageforsuccess.org -
Harvard Business Review – Leadership & Culture
https://hbr.org -
CIPD – Employee Engagement and Organisational Culture
https://www.cipd.co.uk -
McKinsey – Organisational Health & Transformation
https://www.mckinsey.com
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