Let's Talk

BOSS BABY BUSINESS BOOM - From Firefighting to Fortune Flowing

BUILD HIGH PERFORMANCE TEAMS – Because no CEO can scale alone

Dr. CA Sangeeta Shankaran Sumesh

CFO turned leadership coach | Bestselling Author | Professional Speaker | Independent Director

Your success as a CEO is directly proportional to the performance of your leadership team.
Your department heads, functional leads, regional managers are the people you depend on to translate your vision into action. If they perform at a high level, your business will soar. If they don’t, even the best strategy will fail.
So, how can you, as Boss Baby, ignite high performance in your team and drive business growth?
Here are some easy, practical and implementable strategies that will create a ripple effect of performance throughout your organization.

1. Articulate your high performance requirements

What does high performance mean to you?
“High performance” can be a fuzzy buzzword unless clearly defined. For some, it means hitting revenue targets. For others, it could be innovation or newer geographies. Clarify what high performance means in your business.
Share with your leadership team:
  • What specific results do you want from each function
  • Your expectations on the non-negotiable leadership behaviours
  • How will you measure performance beyond numbers (customer delight, business partnering, innovation etc.) 
Communicate and align your leadership team with your high performance specifics. Explain your expectations, their deliverables and the key performance indicators. Instead of a top-down diktat, involve them on having shared ownership. 
Action – 
Define 
  1. Your high performance needs
  2. The results you want
  3. The behaviours you expect 

2. Stop commanding

Like many other CEO’s are you also stuck in the instruction mode? 
If yes, beware! Because high performance leaders aren’t wired to take orders. They’re built through coaching. Your one-downs don’t need more direction from you.
Start scheduling regular one-on-one coaching style conversations. Go beyond status updates. 
Ask questions like:
  • What’s one area you’re struggling with and how can I support you?
  • What’s a recent win you’re proud of and what made it work?
  • What’s one decision you’re avoiding?
Listen. Reflect. Guide. 
Resist the temptation to jump in with your solutions. High performance leaders grow by thinking, not by being told.
To know more about coaching style conversations, watch this video – https://youtu.be/0pe0-9MsaDA?si=D1ElEqbkkY922D7V 
Action – 
  • Block your calendar regularly for conversations with your leadership team.
  • Prepare ahead with the questions you want to ask to enable their high performance
  • Sharpen your listening skills.

3. Create a culture of ownership

Do you know the difference between being accountable and owning outcomes? You need people who are proactive, take initiative and have an entrepreneurial mindset.
To build this:
  • Involve your one-downs in strategic decisions. Hear them and let them contribute to shaping goals along with you.
  • Celebrate and recognize people who stepped up, not just those who hit targets.
  • Stop rescuing. Let your leaders feel the weight of their role. 
Action – 
  • Breed high performance by partnering with your leadership team
  • Stop spoon feeding your leaders. 
  • Allow them to think, learn and deliver.

4. Align individual goals and company goals

Do your leaders perform well in silos but don’t contribute to overall growth?
It’s because their KPIs are misaligned with the company’s goals. Fix this. Help them see how their goals tie into the company’s strategy.
Example: If your business goal is “20% YoY growth through new customer acquisition,” then:
  • Sales head’s goal: Acquire X new customers
  • Marketing head’s goal: Generate Y leads from untapped segments.
  • HR head’s goal: Build a sales focused talent pipeline.
When everyone sees how their piece fits into the puzzle, you create synergy with the big picture.
Action – 
  • Create dashboards that track goals and performance.
  • Communicate clearly and keep the team updated.
  • Encourage, support and celebrate the team through appreciation.

5. Go beyond efficiency

Are you only driving efficiency in your team? If yes, it’s time you go beyond. 
High performance is about managing energy for effective execution. 
Do you know the biggest drain or boost to teams’ energy? You, the Boss Baby!
Reflect on this –
  • Are you showing up with inspiration or fatigue? 
  • Are you bringing clarity or chaos? 
  • Are your town halls lighting sparks or putting people to sleep?
Remember that your energy is contagious. People don’t just follow your words, but follow your vibe. Make it powerful.
Action – 
  • Share wins, setbacks and learnings regularly.
  • Acknowledge effort, not just outcomes.
  • Show vulnerability—it’s a strength, not a weakness.

6. Invest in leadership development

Are you one of those CEO’s whose excuse is “We don’t have the budget”?
But here’s the bitter truth: The cost of poor leadership performance is far higher than your budget.
Work with external coaches. Run focused leadership programs. Organize cross-functional learning. Encourage feedback. Offer books, resources etc.
Action – 
  • Adopt a learning culture. When your one-downs see that you’re learning, they’ll follow suit.
  • Run a monthly “Leadership lab” where each one-down presents a case, challenge, or book summary.
  • Engage with an external leadership coach.
Are you one of those CEO’s whose excuse is “We don’t have the budget”?
But here’s the bitter truth: The cost of poor leadership performance is far higher than your budget.
Work with external coaches. Run focused leadership programs. Organize cross-functional learning. Encourage feedback. Offer books, resources etc.
Action – 
  • Adopt a learning culture. When your one-downs see that you’re learning, they’ll follow suit.
  • Run a monthly “Leadership lab” where each one-down presents a case, challenge, or book summary.
  • Engage with an external leadership coach.

7. You’ve got to break free

Are you and your leaders busy with the daily firefighting? You can’t grow your business with leaders stuck in this loop. 
As CEO, enable strategic thinking for your leaders. Create space for your team to think strategically. 
  • Conduct half-yearly offsites to zoom out and reflect.
  • Assign ownership of strategic projects beyond their function.
  • Encourage leaders to have a specific time assigned to think about strategic growth.
When leaders think beyond their routine jobs, they transform from managers to growth multipliers.
Action – 
  • In your next leadership meet, ask: “What’s one bold move we can make this quarter?”
  • Generate growth ideas from all your team members
  • Bring in customers, experts or professional speakers to spark new thinking.

High performance starts with you

At the core, your leadership defines your organization’s performance. If you want your one-downs to raise their game, you must first raise yours. Lead with clarity, compassion, courage and conviction.
Inspire performance. Ignite possibilities. Initiate your business’s next big leap, Boss Baby! 
If this article resonates, let’s connect. Because you don’t have to walk the growth journey alone.

Dr. CA Sangeeta Shankaran Sumesh

CFO turned leadership coach | Bestselling Author | Professional Speaker | Independent Director

Kural Konnect © 2026. All rights reserved.