As a leader, here are seven key questions to ask yourself:

Question 1: Am I focusing more on the results or the people that produce them?

Question 2: How much time per month do I spend tending to my branches (people’s) needs and developing them into their potential?  Note: An annual or even quarterly performance review does not cut it – try watering a fruit tree once or twice a year and see how that turns out.

Question 3: Am I providing my team the water and fertilizer (e.g. resources, tools, means, etc.) they need to produce the fruit I am expecting?

Question 4: What small threats could be destroying my team’s daily wins and hindering their productivity (e.g. social media, distractions, etc.)?  Solomon wrote, “catch the foxes for us, the small foxes that are ruining our vineyard”.  What can you do to monitor and catch these little foxes to prevent future intrusion?

Question 5: Do I regularly prune my branches by: removing non-value added tasks, helping make their work easier/better, eliminating or automating manual tasks which sap their energy and time?

Question 6: What stakes and trellises (e.g. structures and support systems) can I put in place to better direct their growth and fruitfulness?

Question 7: Have I made it clear what the expected results are?  If expectations are not being met, the we must first get honest with ourselves and reflect if we are truly communicating them clearly.

Create an action plan from these questions, and I promise you that you will see breakthrough results in the months/years to come!