When you hear the word “team” what do YOU think of?  As a guy, when I hear the word “team” it conjures images of sports teams. Wikipedia defines “team” as a group of people linked in a common purpose. When we talk about sports teams the common purpose is simple: it’s to WIN. But when it comes to the people you employee in your small business it’s not so obvious.

Sure, you call them your team, but are they really a team? I’d say no, not if they don’t fully understand the common purpose of your business. And let’s say winning is the common purpose of your business, then how do you define winning in the context of your business? Well, I contend that really depends on what you define as your score, and how you share the score with the team.

So, unless you can get it all done in your business by yourself, these are important questions to consider. Especially if you’re the person responsible for the success of your business – I think you know who I’m talking about – you, the leader.

They come in all different shapes and sizes. Some are monumental distractions and time-wasters. Others are opportunities that seem almost too good to pass up. The one thing they have in common is, you and me and other entrepreneurs who constantly have their radar up and attract these things known as Bright Shiny Objects (BSOs).

If you're affected by BSO syndrome here's ways to quickly determine if something is worth your time to explore...

As a business owner, what keeps you up at night? You’re probably snickering at that question simply because the list of things could go on and on. Well I’ve had the opportunity to ask that question to business owners many times, and the most prominent answer is, cash flow, or should I say lack thereof.

So wouldn’t it be good to know at what point during the month your business achieves the breakeven point? By the way, breakeven is when total revenue equals total costs. After all, up to the point in the month where your business achieves breakeven you haven’t earned a dime of profit yet. All your money has gone to just pay the business operating costs.

Here's a simple formula to calculate your business break even point...

You ask someone how their work is going, and the reply is “pretty good”, or “it’s coming along”, or “just about done”, only to learn a bit later that the job is really only 20% complete. English teachers call these verbal diversions euphemisms, or escape words. They are a long way from the truth and they are rampant in business.

For some people there is too much truth in exact measurement. They just don’t have the courage to face the truth of exact measurement and instead focus on activities, not results. Along the way they collect reasons – excuses – why the job they are working on is “almost…”, or “just about…” done.

Using key performance indicators (KPIs) is a great way to turn your business into a game. Here's some tips on creating your own score keeping system...

When exact measurements are made in your business, things are brought into clear focus, and there is no place to hide.

When I think of leaders, I visualize something different than many people do. A high-performing team is one in which every player acts in a leadership capacity—at least part of the time. Unfortunately, many still think of leadership as something assigned exclusively to one person. The image of a lone individual standing at the head of a board room table, “calling the shots,” illuminates a misleading idea that I believe is all too pervasive in workplace cultures. Successful leaders create thriving organizations by stepping out of the spotlight and showing others how to achieve their own greatness.