A CEO’s journey to an A-Player Team

As a CEO, are you still the one stepping in to fix front-line issues? It’s a common frustration in growing small to mid-size companies. 

In my previous 5 Minute Growth Tips, “Are your leaders high-performing?” and “The Strength of Talent by Mike Goldman”, we discussed the framework for moving leaders from "average" to "excellent." We identified five critical elements: Job Scorecards, Quarterly Coaching Reviews, Personal Assessments, Quarterly Development Plans, and Weekly One-On-Ones.

Here, I’ll share the story of a Winnipeg CEO who broke the cycle of micro-managing by focusing on this development process with his leaders.

The Challenge: The CEO as the Chief Firefighter

I worked for several years with Roger Miranda, the CEO of Evident IT, a managed service provider (MSP) in Winnipeg.

When we began our work together, Roger was feeling frustrated. Like many CEOs of scaling companies, he found himself constantly pulled down into front-line people issues. Despite his efforts, his direct involvement was having little effect.

Roger knew that to improve customer service, to turn clients into ambassadors who would help attract new business, he needed his entire team performing at an A-Player level. But he realized he couldn't do it alone. Developing front-line employees into A-Players required his leadership team to grow and develop into A-Players first. He needed to stop firefighting and start coaching his leaders to lead.

Step 1: Defining Excellence with Job Scorecards

The first step was removing the ambiguity. You can’t hold someone to a high bar if they don't know where the bar is.

I guided Roger to create a comprehensive Job Scorecard for each of his leaders. We didn't just list tasks; we documented core values and behaviours, specific results and targets, areas of accountability, and behavioral competencies.

Roger found determining the exact metrics and targets challenging at first. However, he leveraged MSP industry benchmarks to define what "average" vs. "outstanding" looked like. This gave him the confidence to hold his team to a rigorous, data-backed standard of excellence.

Step 2: Uncovering Reality through Quarterly Coaching Reviews

With the scorecards in hand, Roger implemented Quarterly Coaching Reviews. These weren't standard HR "performance reviews"; they were reality checks designed to surface blind spots.

In one instance, a review revealed a significant gap: a leader believed they were performing well, but Roger’s rating on one of their responsibilities was lower because the leader was "winging it" rather than following documented processes. This lack of structure was creating friction and inefficiencies whenever their work touched other departments.

Step 3: Identifying Potential with Personal Assessments

To understand why certain leaders were struggling despite having clear scorecards, Roger turned to Personal Assessments. Specifically, he used the Working Genius tool to map out the natural strengths and frustrations of his team.

One of his leaders, who managed a large team, discovered they had a "weakness" in Galvanizing, the ability to rally, inspire, and push a team toward a goal. In the fast-paced MSP world, Galvanizing is essential. This assessment was an "Aha!" moment for Roger; it explained why this leader struggled to get their team on board with changes. It moved the problem from a personality clash to a specific competency gap that could be managed or supported.

Step 4: Building Skills via Quarterly Development Plans

Once the gaps were identified (like "winging it" or a lack of "Galvanizing"), Roger used Quarterly Development Plans to bridge them. These weren't generic management courses; they were "live" and value-creating business projects.

For the leader who was struggling with process, their development plan for the quarter was to document and refine their department’s main work process. By making this their primary learning objective, Roger ensured they were growing their skills while simultaneously solving a major pain point for the company. The growth was practical, measurable, and directly tied to the company's success.

​Step 5: Sustaining Growth through Weekly One-On-Ones

The final, and perhaps most difficult, piece was the Weekly One-On-One. In a technical environment, it’s easy to let these meetings become "tactical status updates" or cancel them when things get busy. Roger's challenge was consistency.

He realized that for the leader struggling with Galvanizing, the weekly cadence was the most important support he could provide. By showing up every week, he kept the bar high and provided the coaching necessary to help that leader learn to lead their team better. These meetings weren’t about "checking off tasks" but rather "building the leader," ensuring the leader’s development efforts continued and that the culture of accountability remained firm.

The Result: From Frustrated to Free

The beauty of a high-performance system is that it brings clarity. Over time, one of Roger’s leaders developed significantly and became a stronger leader.

However, the increased accountability led another leader to realize they were no longer the right fit for the direction of the company. They decided to move on. While "losing" a leader can be difficult, it allowed Roger to hire a new leader who possessed the "Galvanizing" genius the team desperately needed.

Today, Roger has stepped back from the front-line firefighting. With the right leaders performing at a higher level, and a system to keep them there, he is finally free to focus on the strategic growth of Evident IT.

Are your leaders performing at an A-Player level? Or are you still doing their job for them?  If you want help implementing Job Scorecards and these developmental rhythms to help your team reach the A-Player level, let’s chat.

So, where can you begin to get your leaders to become high performing? Start with creating job scorecards with and for each your leaders. Then get acquainted with the Quarterly Coaching Review. We’ll cover that in detail in the next 5 Minute Growth Tip.

Watch / Listen to the Video

If you are a prairie CEO who wants to grow a thriving company, team and life more quickly, more easily and with less stress and headache, please contact me here.