How well is your company setup to succeed?

Is the sales team incentivised* to sign up as many customers as possible, or sign up quality customers that will spend more and churn less?

Are shareholders incentivised to sell the company, or help you build a long term franchise?

Is the development team incentivised to get features done on time, or build good scaleable code?

Is marketing incentivised to deliver lots of leads , or deliver growth?

Is customer service incentivised to close support tickets, or deliver a great customer experience?

Is training incentivised to deliver great training, or help clients deliver results in their business?

Are executives incentivised to return short-term value to shareholders, or to make long-term decisions for customers and employees?

Are managers incentivised to hire the best in the industry, or mentor and grow the best in the company?

One way isn’t necessarily better than the other. But in my experience it can be very difficult to achieve both at the same time, so the route you prioritise in your organisation will probably determine which type of organisation you end up with. Founders often have clear goals when they start a company, but what they execute on, reward people for and prioritise ultimately ends up being their legacy. What will yours be?

*Incentives do not necessarily mean financial compensation. They can also be promotions, recognition or anything else cultural in the organisation that encourages certain behaviour.