Assessing Your CEO Quotient

1. Does your organization have a well-articulated vision? Is that vision commonly known and understood throughout the company?

2. Can you honestly say that you spend time each week learning what your competitors are up to?

3. Do you routinely scrutinize your primary competitors' practices? (This could mean not only checking them out with a personal visit, but also spending time studying their offerings, their promotions, etc.)

4. Think about the lessons you have picked up from studying your competitors. Have you incorporated these lessons into your own business? Have you improved on them?

5. How would you describe your relationships with your key suppliers? If you do not think of them as genuine partners, then there may be ways to improve those relationships—and, by extension, your business.