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How to Write the Management Team Section of a Business Plan + Examples

Written by Dave Lavinsky

management hierarchy

Over the last 20+ years, we’ve written business plans for over 4,000 companies and hundreds of thousands of others have used our business plan template and other business planning materials.

From this vast experience, we’ve gained valuable insights on how to write a business plan effectively , specifically in the management section.

What is a Management Team Business Plan?

A management team business plan is a section in a comprehensive business plan that introduces and highlights the key members of the company’s management team. This part provides essential details about the individuals responsible for leading and running the business, including their backgrounds, skills, and experience.

It’s crucial for potential investors and stakeholders to evaluate the management team’s competence and qualifications, as a strong team can instill confidence in the company’s ability to succeed.

Why is the Management Team Section of a Business Plan Important?

Your management team plan has 3 goals:

  • To prove to you that you have the right team to execute on the opportunity you have defined, and if not, to identify who you must hire to round out your current team
  • To convince lenders and investors (e.g., angel investors, venture capitalists) to fund your company (if needed)
  • To document how your Board (if applicable) can best help your team succeed

What to Include in Your Management Team Section

There are two key elements to include in your management team business plan as follows:

Management Team Members

For each key member of your team, document their name, title, and background.

Their backgrounds are most important in telling you and investors they are qualified to execute. Describe what positions each member has held in the past and what they accomplished in those positions. For example, if your VP of Sales was formerly the VP of Sales for another company in which they grew sales from zero to $10 million, that would be an important and compelling accomplishment to document.

Importantly, try to relate your team members’ past job experience with what you need them to accomplish at your company. For example, if a former high school principal was on your team, you could state that their vast experience working with both teenagers and their parents will help them succeed in their current position (particularly if the current position required them to work with both customer segments).

This is true for a management team for a small business, a medium-sized or large business.

Management Team Gaps

In this section, detail if your management team currently has any gaps or missing individuals. Not having a complete team at the time you develop your business plan. But, you must show your plan to complete your team.

As such, describe what positions are missing and who will fill the positions. For example, if you know you need to hire a VP of Marketing, state this. Further, state the job description of this person. For example, you might say that this hire will have 10 years of experience managing a marketing team, establishing new accounts, working with social media marketing, have startup experience, etc.

To give you a “checklist” of the employees you might want to include in your Management Team Members and/or Gaps sections, below are the most common management titles at a growing startup (note that many are specific to tech startups):

  • Founder, CEO, and/or President
  • Chief Operating Officer
  • Chief Financial Officer
  • VP of Sales
  • VP of Marketing
  • VP of Web Development and/or Engineering
  • UX Designer/Manager
  • Product Manager
  • Digital Marketing Manager
  • Business Development Manager
  • Account Management/Customer Service Manager
  • Sales Managers/Sales Staff
  • Board Members

If you have a Board of Directors or Board of Advisors, you would include the bios of the members of your board in this section.

A Board of Directors is a paid group of individuals who help guide your company. Typically startups do not have such a board until they raise VC funding.

If your company is not at this stage, consider forming a Board of Advisors. Such a board is ideal particularly if your team is missing expertise and/or experience in certain areas. An advisory board includes 2 to 8 individuals who act as mentors to your business. Usually, you meet with them monthly or quarterly and they help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. You typically do not pay advisory board members with cash, but offering them options in your company is a best practice as it allows you to attract better board members and better motivate them.

Management Team Business Plan Example

Below are examples of how to include your management section in your business plan.

Key Team Members

Jim Smith, Founder & CEO

Jim has 15 years of experience in online software development, having co-founded two previous successful online businesses. His first company specialized in developing workflow automation software for government agencies and was sold to a public company in 2003. Jim’s second company developed a mobile app for parents to manage their children’s activities, which was sold to a large public company in 2014. Jim has a B.S. in computer science from MIT and an M.B.A from the University of Chicago

Bill Jones, COO

Bill has 20 years of sales and business development experience from working with several startups that he helped grow into large businesses. He has a B.S. in mechanical engineering from M.I.T., where he also played Division I lacrosse for four years.

We currently have no gaps in our management team, but we plan to expand our team by hiring a Vice President of Marketing to be responsible for all digital marketing efforts.

Vance Williamson, Founder & CEO

Prior to founding GoDoIt, Vance was the CIO of a major corporation with more than 100 retail locations. He oversaw all IT initiatives including software development, sales technology, mobile apps for customers and employees, security systems, customer databases/CRM platforms, etc. He has a  B.S in computer science and an MBA in operations management from UCLA.

We currently have two gaps in our Management Team: 

A VP of Sales with 10 years of experience managing sales teams, overseeing sales processes, working with manufacturers, establishing new accounts, working with digital marketing/advertising agencies to build brand awareness, etc. 

In addition, we need to hire a VP of Marketing with experience creating online marketing campaigns that attract new customers to our site.

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Other Resources for Writing Your Business Plan

  • How to Write an Executive Summary
  • How to Expertly Write the Company Description in Your Business Plan
  • How to Write the Market Analysis Section of a Business Plan
  • The Customer Analysis Section of Your Business Plan
  • Completing the Competitive Analysis Section of Your Business Plan
  • Financial Assumptions and Your Business Plan
  • How to Create Financial Projections for Your Business Plan
  • Everything You Need to Know about the Business Plan Appendix
  • Business Plan Conclusion: Summary & Recap

Other Helpful Business Plan Articles & Templates

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How to Write the Management Team Section to Your Business Plan Think you've got an all-star lineup? These are the key characteristics to showcase.

By Eric Butow • Oct 27, 2023

Key Takeaways

  • Who to include in your org chart
  • The key traits to highlight

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

This is part 1 / 8 of Write Your Business Plan: Section 3: Selling Your Product and Team series.

One crucial aspect of any business plan is the management team slide, which outlines the key employees in the organization. Here are some things to keep in mind when putting together your all-star lineup.

Put Yourself First

Don't be modest. If you're the head of the business, you should feature yourself first. After all, you are the entrepreneur behind the business venture, and you will have to put your neck on the line, answer the hard questions, and take the criticism— as well as the praise and acclaim, should there be some.

If you want to impress people with your management team, it's essential to let your readers know who is at the helm and who is selecting the management team. Explain your background, including your vision, your credentials, and why you chose the management team you did.

A business follows the lead of the founder, and as such, you need to briefly explain what is expected of this management team and the role you see it, as a group, playing in the future of this business.

Related: Does Your Team Have the Right Stuff to Attract Venture Capital?

Highlight These Characteristics

Identifying your managers is about presenting what they bring to the table. You can provide this by describing them in terms of the following characteristics:

Education Impressive educational credentials among company managers provide strong reasons for an investor or other plan reader to feel good about your company. Use your judgment in deciding what educational background to include and how to emphasize it. If you're starting a fine restaurant, for example, and your chef graduated at the top of her class from the Culinary Institute of America, play that front and center. If you're starting a courier service and your partner has an anthropology degree from a little-known school, mention it, but don't make a big deal out of it.

Employment Prior work experience in a related field is something many investors look for. If you've spent ten years in management in the retail men's apparel business before opening a tuxedo outlet, an investor can feel confident that you know what you're doing. Likewise, you'll want to explain your team members' key, appropriate positions. Describe any relevant jobs in terms of job title, years of experience, names of employers, and so on. But remember, this isn't a resume. You can feel free to skim over or omit any irrelevant experience. You do not have to provide exact dates of employment.

Related: How to Craft a Business Plan That Will Turn Investors' Heads

Skills A title is one thing, but what you learn while holding it is another. In addition to pointing out that you were a district sales manager for a stereo equipment wholesaler, you should describe your responsibilities and the skills you honed while fulfilling them. Again, list your management team's skills that pertain to this business. A great cook may have incredible accounting skills, but that doesn't matter in the new restaurant's kitchen.

Each time you mention skills that you or a management team member has spent years acquiring at another company, it will be another reason for an investor to believe you can do it at your own company.

Accomplishments Dust off your plaques and trot out your calculator for this one. If you or one of your team members has been awarded patents, achieved record sales gains, or once opened an unbelievable number of new stores in the space of a year, now's the time to talk about it. Don't brag. Just be factual and remember to quantify. If, for example, you have twelve patents, your sales manager had five years of thirty percent annual sales gains, and you oversaw the grand openings of forty-two stores in eleven months, this is the stuff investors and others reading your business plan will want to see. Investors are looking to back impressive winners, and quantifiable results speak strongly to businesspeople of all stripes.

Personal information Investors want to know with whom they're dealing in terms of the personal side. Personal information on each member of your management team may include age, city of residence, notable charitable or community activities, and, last but not least, personal motivation for joining the company. Investors like to see vigorous, committed, and involved people in the companies they back. Mentioning one or two of the relevant personal details of your key managers may help investors feel they know what they're getting into, especially in today's increasingly transparent business climate.

Related: How to Evaluate Your Startup Like a VC

Who to Include in Your Plan

Should you mention everyone in your organization down to shop foremen or stop with the people on your executive committee? The answer is probably neither. Instead, think about your managers in terms of the crucial functions of your business.

In deciding the scope of the management section of your plan, consider the following business functions, and make sure you've explained who will handle those that are important to your enterprise:

  • Advertising
  • Distribution
  • Human Resources
  • Technical Operations

Related: How To Build a Team of Outside Experts for Your Business

What Does Each Person Do?

There's more to a job than a title. A director in one organization is a high and mighty individual, whereas a director is practically nobody in another company. Many industries have unique job titles, such as managing editor, creative director, and junior accountant level II, with no counterparts in other industries.

In a longer plan, when you give your management team's background and describe their titles, don't stop there. Go on and tell the reader exactly what each management team member will be expected to do in the company. This may be especially important in a startup, where not every position is filled. If the CFO will handle your marketing work until you get further down the road, let readers know this upfront. You certainly can't expect them to figure that out on their own.

In a shorter business plan, or mini-plan , choose those people most vital to your business. If you are opening a martial arts studio, the instructors, or lead instructors, are significant, as is the software developer in a new software company. While you have room to describe these people in more detail in a longer plan, in the shorter miniplans, use one defining sentence for your top five people.

Related: 6 Tips for Making a Winning Business Presentation

Future Hires

If you do have significant holes in your management team, you'll want to describe your plans for filling them. You may say, for example, "Marketing duties are being handled temporarily by the vice president for finance. Once sales have reached the $500,000 per month level, approximately six months after startup, a dedicated vice president of marketing will be retained to fulfill that function."

In some cases, particularly if you're in a really shaky startup and need solid talent, you may have to describe in some detail your plans for luring a hotshot industry expert to your fledgling enterprise. Then, briefly describe your ideal candidate. For a mini-plan, you may write, "We plan to hire a marketing VP who excels in reaching our 20–29 target market."

Related: Vusi Thembekwayo's 7 Rules of Pitching

More in Write Your Business Plan

Section 1: the foundation of a business plan, section 2: putting your business plan to work, section 3: selling your product and team, section 4: marketing your business plan, section 5: organizing operations and finances, section 6: getting your business plan to investors.

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How To Write the Management Section of a Business Plan

Susan Ward wrote about small businesses for The Balance for 18 years. She has run an IT consulting firm and designed and presented courses on how to promote small businesses.

business plan leadership team

Ownership Structure

Internal management team, external management resources, human resources, frequently asked questions (faqs).

When developing a business plan , the 'management section' describes your management team, staff, resources, and how your business ownership is structured. This section should not only describe who's on your management team but how each person's skill set will contribute to your bottom line. In this article, we will detail exactly how to compose and best highlight your management team.

Key Takeaways

  • The management section of a business plan helps show how your management team and company are structured.
  • The first section shows the ownership structure, which might be a sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation.
  • The internal management section shows the department heads, including sales, marketing, administration, and production.
  • The external management resources help back up your internal management and include an advisory board and consultants.
  • The human resources section contains staffing requirements—part-time or full-time—skills needed for employees and the costs.

This section outlines the legal structure of your business. It may only be a single sentence if your business is a sole proprietorship. If your business is a partnership or a corporation, it can be longer. You want to be sure you explain who holds what percentage of ownership in the company.

The internal management section should describe the business management categories relevant to your business, identify who will have responsibility for each category, and then include a short profile highlighting each person's skills.

The primary business categories of sales, marketing , administration, and production usually work for many small businesses. If your business has employees, you will also need a human resources section. You may also find that your company needs additional management categories to fit your unique circumstances.

It's not necessary to have a different person in charge of each category; some key management people often fill more than one role. Identify the key managers in your business and explain what functions and experience each team member will serve. You may wish to present this as an organizational chart in your business plan, although the list format is also appropriate.

Along with this section, you should include the complete resumés of each management team member (including your own). Follow this with an explanation of how each member will be compensated and their benefits package, and describe any profit-sharing plans that may apply.

If there are any contracts that relate directly to your management team members, such as work contracts or non-competition agreements, you should include them in an Appendix to your business plan.

While external management resources are often overlooked when writing a business plan , using these resources effectively can make the difference between the success or failure of your managers. Think of these external resources as your internal management team's backup. They give your business credibility and an additional pool of expertise.

Advisory Board

An Advisory Board can increase consumer and investor confidence, attract talented employees by showing a commitment to company growth and bring a diversity of contributions. If you choose to have an Advisory Board , list all the board members in this section, and include a bio and all relevant specializations. If you choose your board members carefully, the group can compensate for the niche forms of expertise that your internal managers lack.

When selecting your board members, look for people who are genuinely interested in seeing your business do well and have the patience and time to provide sound advice.

Recently retired executives or managers, other successful entrepreneurs, and/or vendors would be good choices for an Advisory Board.

Professional Services

Professional Services should also be highlighted in the external management resources section. Describe all the external professional advisors that your business will use, such as accountants, bankers, lawyers, IT consultants, business consultants, and/or business coaches. These professionals provide a web of advice and support outside your internal management team that can be invaluable in making management decisions and your new business a success .

The last point you should address in the management section of your business plan is your human resources needs. The trick to writing about human resources is to be specific. To simply write, "We'll need more people once we get up and running," isn't sufficient. Follow this list:

  • Detail how many employees your business will need at each stage and what they will cost.
  • Describe exactly how your business's human resources needs can be met. Will it be best to have employees, or should you operate with contract workers or freelancers ? Do you need full-time or part-time staff or a mix of both?
  • Outline your staffing requirements, including a description of the specific skills that the people working for you will need to possess.
  • Calculate your labor costs. Decide the number of employees you will need and how many customers each employee can serve. For example, if it takes one employee to serve 150 customers, and you forecast 1,500 customers in your first year, your business will need 10 employees.
  • Determine how much each employee will receive and total the salary cost for all your employees.
  • Add to this the cost of  Workers' Compensation Insurance  (mandatory for most businesses) and the cost of any other employee benefits, such as company-sponsored medical and dental plans.

After you've listed the points above, describe how you will find the staff your business needs and how you will train them. Your description of staff recruitment should explain whether or not sufficient local labor is available and how you will recruit staff.

When you're writing about staff training, you'll want to include as many specifics as possible. What specific training will your staff undergo? What ongoing training opportunities will you provide your employees?

Even if the plan for your business is to start as a sole proprietorship, you should include a section on potential human resources demands as a way to demonstrate that you've thought about the staffing your business may require as it grows.

Business plans are about the future and the hypothetical challenges and successes that await. It's worth visualizing and documenting the details of your business so that the materials and network around your dream can begin to take shape.

What is the management section of a business plan?

The 'management section' describes your management team, staff, resources, and how your business ownership is structured.

What are the 5 sections of a business plan?

A business plan provides a road map showing your company's goals and how you'll achieve them. The five sections of a business plan are as follows:

  • The  market analysis  outlines the demand for your product or service.
  • The  competitive analysis  section shows your competition's strengths and weaknesses and your strategy for gaining market share.
  • The management plan outlines your ownership structure, the management team, and staffing requirements.
  • The  operating plan  details your business location and the facilities, equipment, and supplies needed to operate.
  • The  financial plan  shows the map to financial success and the sources of funding, such as bank loans or investors.

SCORE. " Why Small Businesses Should Consider Workers’ Comp Insurance ."

Business Plan Management Team Section

An overview of your founders, key employees, and advisors, management team.

The purpose of including the management team in a business plan is that it provides an overview of your founders and key employees. Yet, in the beginning, that might be just one person. You can increase your plan’s credibility by establishing a supporting cast of key mentors and advisors and including them in this section.

This article provides information about how to present your management team, including examples and a management team template you can use for your business plan.

Important Considerations for Presenting Your Management Team

Venture capitalists will often say, “We don’t invest in ideas. We invest in people.” Their rationale is that, over time, the idea will have to evolve. The right team will develop the idea into a winner. But the wrong team can ruin even what was initially an outstanding idea. So the question to be answered by this section is, “What experience and achievements in this team’s past demonstrate that they will succeed in this new business?”

Business Plan Outline for your Management Team:

The structure for the management team section of your business plan is straightforward. For each bullet point item below, expand on the experience and value brought to your company by their participation. The following sections will recommend best practices for presenting your management team in a way that investors and lenders will appreciate.

  • Key Employees

Hiring Plans

Board members.

  • Professional Advisors

Founders and CEOs

Most startup businesses will be led by the founder as the Chief Executive Officer or CEO. For a startup, the title of President is equally suitable.

If Your Founder is also the CEO

Assuming your President or CEO is also the founder, begin your Management Team section with a description of the individual who will be the CEO or senior person in charge of running the company.

Under the heading of Founder and CEO, include a mini-bio relevant to the credibility of this person leading the firm to success. A lender or investor will go to LinkedIn to get the full bio, so stick to the essential elements.

The best thing you can say about the founder is that he or she has CEO-level experience running a similar business or one in a similar space. Realistically, you’re only sometimes going to be able to say that. What can you say?

First, present the most relevant experience that makes the CEO “investable.” That could be technical expertise, sales experience, or management skills from another company. By stating the most relevant experience to the new business right up front, you’ll help the reader see the transferable skills. If there is no CEO experience, don’t worry. In the following sections, we’ll show you how to build a bridge of confidence to cover that gap.

If Your Founder is not the CEO

If the founder is not the CEO, two questions must be answered in this lead-off sub-section of your business plan management team. First, why is the founder not leading the company as its CEO? Next, what role will the founder play in the business?

Hopefully, the first question answers itself by presenting the outstanding qualifications of the CEO, such that the reader would be impressed by the fact that you were able to get this person to come on board to grow your business. A simple example would be:

Robert Nelson has 20 years of experience in our industry, 10 of that as a CEO. Robert will lead MyCo as our CEO. Robert is known and respected in the field and will surely accelerate our growth.  

Dana Elders, our founder, worked under Robert as the head of sales, where he flourished. Dana will be MyCo’s President and will also be responsible for driving revenue. 

Whatever the circumstances are that led to your founder not being the CEO, one would expect that there is an advantage with an upside. Otherwise, why would the founder abdicate this role? Be sure to identify the upside in your business plan.

Key Management Team Members

Highlight the relevant experience and accomplishments your team brings to the table. You can include the resumes of your key management team members as appendices in your business plan and refer to them in this section.

Whom should you include?

Include as many of the following roles in your management team as you have filled. Adapt these to align more closely with the important roles in your industry.

  • Any VP-level person
  • Chief Operating Officer
  • Chief Financial Officer
  • Chief Product Officer
  • Chief Technology Officer
  • Head of Sales
  • Head of Marketing
  • Head of Operations
  • Any outstanding contributor with experience that will obviously contribute to the success of your business.

What to Say about Each Person on Your Management Team

For each individual you list, include their relevant experience, transferable skills, and key accomplishments, emphasizing factors that will contribute to your business’ success. Avoid making readers “connect the dots” on their own. Rather, make the connection for them.

For example:

Jose Rodero, VP of Product and Marketing.  

In Jose’s previous role as Chief Product Officer of LikeMine Company, he expanded into new markets and tripled the size of the business in three years. This experience is ideal for MyCo as we move beyond a single market to expand into adjacent markets. 

Highlight Relevant Accomplishments

For each person you list in the key management section, it’s helpful to convey a pattern of accomplishments, such as, “At her last company, Ms. Johnson was named Employee of the Year for the past two years. During that time, she was twice promoted. First to VP of Sales and then to COO.

Leave out admirable but “sideline” accolades such as, “Ms. Johnson is a two-time winner of the La Jolla Triathlon.” Unless an accolade relates to the success of your business, you’re better off mentioning it in the biography (included as an appendix) or leaving it out altogether.

At the early stages of your company, you might be missing some key people on your management team—this is normal and acceptable. Usually, this has a lot to do with why you are seeking funding. If you haven’t yet hired all your key people, you can address this in your business plan in two ways.

First, if you have lined up some individuals who will come on board when you bring in your funding, you can identify them in your business plan. If this information is not ready to be disclosed, you can allude to it in generalized terms without divulging the person’s name or current company.

“We have identified an individual with ten years of experience in a similar company to fill the Director of Marketing role. Pending the timing of our funding, we expect this person to join our team.

Next, address any gaps in your management team that need to be filled. Identify key hires that remain and the order in which you expect to fill the positions. Doing so shows that you’re thinking ahead and shields you from any criticism about holes in your current team.

While you may think these gaps are a weakness in your plan, your potential investors or lenders become a source of free candidate referrals!

Board of Directors versus Board of Advisors

There are two types of boards: a board of directors and a board of advisors, sometimes called an advisory board. A board of directors can have specific legal responsibilities and authority. For that reason, some individuals would prefer to join a board of advisors.

A board of advisors generally has fewer or no formal responsibilities but can be just as beneficial to the company through the guidance they provide. It’s never too early, and your business is never too small to have a board of advisors.

Whether it’s a board of directors or a board of advisors, it is important to surround yourself with experienced advisors who will provide sound advice that you will be willing to follow. Anything less will waste your time and theirs.

One founder we met with had this to say about a particular board member:

“I selected him to be on the board of my first company because he was strongly recommended by two successful business people I knew. I found him to be someone who pushed back on many of my ideas, asked lots of tough questions, and always held me to task on everything I said we would accomplish. We were not friends outside of the business.

When I started my next business, and we needed to set up a board–he was the first person I called.” 

Your best board members may not be your best friends, and hopefully, they won’t be people who think just like you. A board brings a diversity of thought and critical thinking. They help you be a better version of yourself.

Having a board of directors or board of advisors tells lenders and investors that you value the input of outside thinking and have the skills to build relationships with people who can help your business succeed. That bodes well for the future success of your business!

Board of Directors

Your initial board of directors will almost certainly be led by the founder as its Chair. Typically, a co-founder, angel investor, or key employee with very senior executive experience might also be on the board. A small board of directors is fine, especially if you’ll be adding a board of advisors.

Depending on the state where you start your business and your corporate structure, a minimum number of board members may be prescribed.

Advisory Board

If you still need to get a board of directors beyond the minimum required roles, consider putting together a board of advisors. Chances are you have mentors and people with relevant experience who are giving you input on your business idea. Perhaps one of them is even a customer or potential customer.

Consider asking these people to agree to be on your board of advisors, a group that would meet quarterly to hear updates on your business and to provide input. With their consent, you can list members of your board of advisors in your business plan. You’ll find that accomplished people are often happy to join your board of advisors for little or no compensation.

What to Show in Your Business Plan for Board Members (Directors and Advisors)

For each board member in your board of directors and board of advisors, list their name, current or most recent position, and company. If members have special experience that pertains strongly to your business, naturally, you would also want to include that information. Include up to two or three sentences of narrative about each board member.

Using the format above, first list your Board of Directors and then your Board of Advisors.

Professional Services Advisors

If you have worked with an attorney to establish your business, an accountant to help prepare your financial forecasts, or an advertising or PR firm to help prepare some promotional materials—include these organizations in your business plan’s management section under the heading “Professional Advisors.”

Bankers and investors are often well-connected to area professional service providers. Knowing that you are working with recognized names in the business community can boost your credibility. It also tells the reader that you’re being advised by professionals.

Be sure to let your advisors know in advance that you’ve listed them in your business plan since oftentimes, they’ll get a phone call asking for their impressions of the business. Better still, seek and obtain their permission.

In this section, include the type of services provided, the name of the firm, and your primary contact.

Legal Advisors: Dewey and Howe. Jerry Mander, Partner.

Management Team Example Summary

Most startup businesses have a lean management team. A savvy founder will find a way to surround him or herself with individuals who will help the business get started, grow and thrive as non-executive contributors.

Use our provided information and management team examples to present a well-rounded management team section in your business plan.

If you still need to get some of the ancillary advisors we’ve recommended, now is the time to expand your influence circle. You’ll find that there are highly qualified individuals who are willing and even enthusiastic to be a part of your success.

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By Hannah L. Miller Leaders Staff

Hannah L. Miller

Hannah L. Miller

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Hannah L. Miller, MA, is the senior editor for Leaders Media. Since graduating with her Master of Arts in 2015,...

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Updated Jan 4, 2023

How to Build a Powerful Leadership Team

What is a leadership team, the conditions needed for a great leadership team, what should a leadership team focus on, top causes of ineffective leadership teams, ways to build and improve your leadership team, how to know when your leadership team is effective .

According to a  study  conducted by DDI, EY, and The Conference Board, only 14 percent of CEOs have the leadership talent needed to grow their companies. This research analyzed over 28,000 leaders and HR professionals, showing there’s a huge problem with the leadership teams businesses build. When companies don’t effectively create an executive leadership team, it puts the entire organization in peril. Leadership starts at the top and dictates company culture, a business’s ability to succeed, and what type of impact it has on the world and the lives of those driving the organization’s mission forward. Without it, a company and those who work at it will inevitably suffer. 

A business is only as successful as its leaders. Leadership expert John C. Maxwell refers to this as “The Law of the Lid” in his book  The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership , stating: “The higher you want to climb, the more you need leadership.” In short, he means, company growth gets capped depending on how effective or ineffective its leaders are. To determine how great your leaders are, all you need to do is take a closer look at the organization because leadership reflects upon the business itself. 

As the statistic above shows, most companies do have room to improve when it comes to building a stronger senior leadership team. To do this, find out more about the role of a leadership team, what a good one looks like, its top priorities, common problems, and tips for growing your leaders and business. 

A leadership team consists of the organization’s upper-level executives. This group often includes people with titles like chief executive officer (CEO), vice president, chief financial officer (CFO), chief operating officer (COO), chief information officer (CIO), and chief technology officer (CTO). While these people run daily operations, in corporations and publicly traded companies, an elected board of directors (not a part of the leadership team) also impacts the overall direction of the business. Their job is to ensure senior leadership makes choices that protect shareholders’ best interests.

Together, these people are responsible for guiding the business and its employees toward fulfilling the CEO’s vision of a better future. To do this, they might meet with their leadership team several times a week to discuss strategy, make decisions, problem solve, set goals, and get updates from cross-functional departments. Spending time with your leadership team is also an excellent opportunity to teach, inspire, and motivate upper-level executives to positively influence their own teams. When this happens, outstanding leadership engulfs the entire organization and its people.

According to management professor Dr. Jennifer Mueller, a person should consider three different factors when building a great team. 

  • What is the team responsible for doing or achieving? 
  • What type of people should the team be composed of, and which skills should they have? 
  • How big should the team be to be the most effective? 

When it comes to the size of a team, Mueller  tells  The Wharton School, “After about five people, there are diminishing returns on how much people will pull.” She says this is due to “social loafing” or having the opportunity not to participate as much in the group because there are more places to hide and go unnoticed. 

It’s essential senior leadership teams are intentional about using their time together wisely. Each meeting should have a specific purpose, complete with goals to achieve. By staying organized and focused, teams can be more productive and impact-driven. But, what exactly should leadership prioritize and keep their attention on? Find out several common focal points you’ll want to address consistently.

Leadership teams are responsible for creating and finding ways to execute the strategy that fulfills the organization’s purpose and mission. To do this, they need to have the foresight to think about the company’s direction and what they can do to get there. Those on your team should hold all of the qualities needed to develop strong strategic plans. These characteristics include but are not limited to creativity, an analytical mind, the ability to conceptualize, a talent for problem solving, objectiveness, and the emotional intelligence needed to think about how choices affect others.

Collaboration 

Leadership teams should drive the organization closer together rather than further apart. Individuals on the team don’t let self-interest lead them. Instead, they choose to focus on doing what’s best for the company and its people. When organizations have a strong collaborative spirit at the top, it naturally radiates throughout the business’s culture. Focusing on collaboration produces dynamic, communicative cross-functional teams that work together to create and offer world-changing products and services. When senior leadership lacks a collaborative attitude, employees begin working in silos, generating an increased amount of errors and a poor company culture.

This point might seem obvious, but there’s a crisis in poor leadership plaguing America. The truth is, most people get promoted into leaders instead of developed into leaders.  According  to Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning, “only 7 percent of organizations feel they have a Best in Class leadership development program .” The person in charge of a senior leadership team should be growing themselves and their leaders at all times. Additionally, senior leaders should consider taking what they’re learning and distilling it into their direct reports. This continues the cycle of positively influencing one another until every employee knows how to be a leader. 

Apart from this, the leadership team should also strategize on ensuring employees at all levels are growing their  leadership qualities . Whether it be weekly training within various teams, one-on-one mentorship, or a book club, creating a plan that makes leadership a company priority is one of the top responsibilities of this group. 

Just because a leadership team exists doesn’t mean it’s effective. Differing personalities, agendas, and motives can all be contributing factors to this problem. Additionally, failure or ineffectiveness can also occur due to outside circumstances like changing CEOs. To find out more about why leadership teams don’t always drive impact, learn more below.

1. New Leaders Don’t Practice Change Management 

Sometimes businesses  need  a change in leadership to be effective. Yet, when this isn’t coupled with organizational change management practices, it can cause panic and chaos. New leaders that come in with a heavy hand and start changing everything about the company need to understand that too much disruption too quickly produces fear, anxiety, and cynicism among their leadership team and the employees those people are responsible for guiding. 

Unfortunately, many businesses struggle with this problem. As the  Harvard Business Review   provides , over 50 percent of CEOs at the largest American companies will be replaced within the next four years. Because this leader dictates who’s on their  leadership and management  team, a new CEO could come into the business and shake up the roster, which can cause a ripple of upset across the company. 

2. The Team Isn’t Compatible

While all leaders should practice  leadership styles  that allow them to handle varying types of people, this doesn’t mean that they’ll automatically have an amazing synergetic connection with everyone they interact with. However, the goal of a person building a team should always be to develop a group of people who do. A strong executive leadership team must complement one another’s strengths, weaknesses, disposition, and innate leadership abilities. When the hiring process is treated as a careless exercise, you wind up with a disjointed, haphazardly put-together team. 

3. Leaders Don’t Know How to Manage Conflict

Workplace conflict  will occur on great leadership teams. Executives  shouldn’t  agree with each other all the time. Otherwise, the entire group is only participating as “yes men,” which doesn’t allow the business to develop, innovate, and grow. As author Doug Floyd writes, “You don’t get harmony when everyone sings the same note.” However, this goes without saying individuals who are interested in conflict for the sake of it are toxic to workplace environments. They can manipulate people’s feelings, cause the group to make terrible decisions that result in substantial business mistakes , and destroy team bonds. Strong leaders know this is unacceptable behavior that negatively impacts the entire organization. Because of this, they become proficient in using conflict resolution skills that set boundaries and dissolve disagreements before they get too heated.

4. Stress Causes the Team to Crumble

Executives who don’t know how to manage stress and prevent work burnout are a huge reason leadership teams become ineffective and fail. A  survey  by DDI reveals that this is a widespread problem at businesses, with over 60 percent of leaders saying they feel burned out at the end of the workday. When leaders overwork themselves to the brink of exhaustion, their performance, productivity, participation, and even health begin to suffer. People are what make organizations run, so when they’re run down, it has the power to bring operations to a screeching halt. 

All of these problems might make it seem like it’s virtually impossible to build a strong leadership team. However, this isn’t the case. The truth is, while building teams and leadership takes clear focus, intention, and the constant pursuit of self-growth, when these things become a regular daily habit, creating a world-changing leadership team becomes second nature. Learn a few tips on how to get started below.

1. Be Intentional About the Team Members You Hire 

Think of your leadership team like a war chest. They’re there to make sure you come out of the other end of your fight successfully. While you have the vision, they are the ones who help you reach the finish line. For this reason, it’s a good idea to hire a diverse group of leaders who have various, different strengths the team can utilize. You wouldn’t want to go into battle carrying five swords, so be intentional about what you need, what purpose each person serves, and how the candidate you’re considering fulfills leadership skills that the team is missing.

2. Communicate the Company Vision 

Leadership teams need to be clear on what vision they’re making a reality. While everyone in the group is responsible for outlining ways to fulfill this objective, the CEO’s job is to cast a vision so the group can visualize the finish line. Companies fall apart when there’s no strong, collective vision that executives and their teams all work toward. For example, silos form, and various groups throughout the organization start prioritizing the work they feel is important. Effective organizations don’t operate in this manner. When fulfilling the purpose of the business  is  the purpose of the business, executives and all those they guide unify across the board to drive real impact. 

Learn more about creating a strong  vision or how to become a CEO .

3. Value “We” Over “Me”

As referenced above, collaboration is the key to any successful leadership team. As Reid Hoffman, the co-founder and executive chairman of LinkedIn, says, “No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you’re playing a solo game, you’ll always lose out to a team.” He means that teams of people who play to each other’s strengths are stronger than a singular person calling all the shots. One leader can’t master every leadership quality and skill needed for organizational success. For this reason, it’s more important to build a diverse team where each individual contributes in a unique way that benefits the growth and development of the business. 

One way to do this is through strengths based leadership. To practice it:

  • Find each team member’s strengths. For precise results and analysis, you can have the group take the StrengthsFinder assessment. 
  • Discuss the findings with each person (and group so they know how they can play to each other’s strengths). 
  • Help everyone grow into these talents even more. 
  • Provide opportunities for people to use their gifts. 
  • Encourage each individual to spend 25 percent of their time growing in the places they’re weak, too. 

4. Develop Structures and Systems

As famed executive chef Gordon Ramsey says, “Teams need leaders, and leaders need structures.” Without a framework for organizational operations, businesses quickly become unproductive, inefficient, and chaotic. For this reason, leadership teams need to create guidelines on how the business will operate from top to bottom. This eliminates confusion and helps create scalable systems that prepare the company for massive growth.  

To work on structure and systems:

  • Address how the leadership team will operate. For example, the team must decide how the group makes decisions and each person’s specific role. This might also include the responsibilities each person has, too. 
  • Determine the company’s internal systems and what structure it operates under. Include discussing how business initiatives get turned into actionable goals, which project management software employees use, and how to manage employees. 
  • Outline work policies and organizational values in an employee handbook. 
  • Work through your business plan again since it should cover many topics you’ll need to address to keep operations running smoothly. 
  • Conduct a “ Start Stop Continue ” exercise. 

5. Determine How Progress on Goals is Measured

Along with developing structure and systems, leaders should also consider how they’ll measure progress. It’s not enough to set high company goals—the leadership team also needs to construct a strategy that ensures they meet them. This can be done by creating and monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) at every level in the business. To put it simply, KPIs are personal and professional goals that grow team members while also hitting targets that grow the company. The leadership team’s objective is to outline overarching goals that fulfill the company’s vision and mission. After this, leaders can decide the “what,” “who,” and “how,” which will intersect across cross-functional teams. 

To get started with KPIs:

  • Reverse engineer the company vision. What must be true in order for this to become a reality? Work backward and break down your vision into smaller steps. 
  • Get with your leadership team to work on a strategy for making these actionable organizational goals with deadlines. 
  • Meet regularly to monitor the progress of each phase. Figure out how to eliminate roadblocks, set higher goals, and adjust as needed. 

Find out more about establishing  KPIs  and other types of useful metrics.

6. Make Leadership and Self-Development a Top Priority 

Finally, the last tip for those guiding leadership teams is pursuing growth as a leader each day. In  The Five Levels of Leadership , leadership expert John C. Maxwell says the highest status a leader can reach is “Pinnacle.” This type of leader spends their life pursuing growth and development. As a result, they transform those around them into leaders, who turn their team members into leaders, creating an infinite loop of positive influence and great leadership. Companies with these types of leaders thrive: Think Apple (Steve Jobs), Publix (Todd Jones), and General Motors ( Mary Barra ). Their leadership teams are successful and effective because learning to lead is one of the group’s top priorities. It’s something the executives on the team never stop pursuing individually and collectively. 

To become a Level 5 leader:

  • View each day as a new opportunity to grow your leadership traits and qualities. 
  • Hire people you can mentor into great leaders. 
  • Model leadership for your team, so your influence radiates throughout the company through the group of leaders you’ve taught. 
  • Put others above yourself by practicing servant leadership. 
  • Be of service to your community. 
  • Don’t rest on your laurels—always keep striving to grow, no matter what you’ve accomplished. 
  • Teach leadership outside your organization. This might look like giving keynote speeches at a conference or discussing how to guide organizations on one of today’s leading business podcasts . 

Get more insight on the  5 Levels of Leadership . 

Once you’ve built a strong leadership team full of individuals who complement one another, and you start practicing the tips above, you should start seeing results. The team culture will shift to be more energetic and exciting, the business will become more productive, the company will experience more growth, loyal customers will multiply, and the people within the organization will drive more impact in others’ lives. 

Pouring your time and energy into strong team leadership turns good businesses into great ones. It allows the influence of strong leadership to radiate throughout the company so everyone at the organization thinks, acts, and speaks like leaders. When this becomes the company culture at an organization—your business will be unstoppable in terms of what it can achieve. 

Want to learn more about creating more momentum in your organization through team-building?  Read these articles next:

9 Team Leadership Skills That Get Results

Strengths Based Leadership: How to Optimize Your Team’s Abilities

Shared Leadership: How to Co-Lead with Team Members

How to Prevent Siloed Teams and Encourage Teamwork

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How to present the management team in your business plan?

writing a business plan: management section

Behind every successful business venture lies a dynamic and capable management team that serves as the driving force behind its growth and success. 

In the world of entrepreneurship, having a strong management team is a crucial element that investors and stakeholders closely examine before deciding to invest in or support a business. 

When crafting a compelling business plan, showcasing your management team effectively is vital. This section should include details regarding the members of your management team and explain how their respective skillsets compliment each other and will give your business the best chance of success.

So, let's delve into the essential strategies and best practices to effectively introduce your management team and leave a lasting impression on those who hold the keys to your business's success.

In this guide:

What is the objective of the management team subsection of your business plan?

What information should i include when presenting the management team in my business plan.

  • How long should the management section of your business plan be?
  • Example of management section in a business plan

What tools should I use to write my business plan?

The part presenting the management team aims to detail the qualifications and experience of the management team responsible for leading the company.

When writing this section, your goal should be to demonstrate to potential investors that the professionals hired by your business are qualified to hold leadership roles because they have the required expertise and exeperience.

It is crucial to address any skills or experience gaps within your management team. Explain your strategies for filling these gaps, and mention if involving a board member to provide additional support in those areas is a possibility.

Another pivotal aspect is emphasizing your management team's cohesiveness and successful collaboration. This is necessary as potential investors are not just interested in the product or service you offer, but they also invest in the people behind the business. 

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In professional business plans, the management team subsection is usually placed at the end of the company section, after the presentation of the business’ structure, ownership, and location. 

The management team subsection should aim to provide the investors with a comprehensive understanding of who's responsible for delivering the business plan. 

Let’s have a look at the different aspects that this section should cover:

Business structure and role

Start by giving an outline of how your business is or will be structured internally (i.e. the overall hierarchy and where each individual is positioned). 

You should keep this section focused in people in leadership position. The exact number of relevant people will vary based on the size of your business. For example, this could involve naming the CEO, CFO and CMO, or the managing director and his right hand in a smaller business.

You can provide an organisational chart in the appendices to make this easier for the reader to understand your exact organization.

Thorough profile

A detailed profile for each member of the management team is necessary and should include the following details:

  • Background information including their gender and nationality
  • Their educational background emphasizing any degrees or certifications that are relevant to their roles
  • Qualifications or accreditations that hold team members distinct in their particular industries
  • A rundown of all relevant job experience, both in the same sector/role or in other industries
  • Both hard and soft skills that each team member possesses which makes them an asset to the business
  • Details of how long they've been with the company

Visual assets

Incorporating visual aids, such as organizational charts and images of the management team members helps improve the readability of this section. 

These representations prove especially beneficial in situations like pitching sessions, where potential investors may have the opportunity to engage with the team face-to-face in the future.

Succession planning (if applicable)

Briefly describe your succession planning approach if your company has plans for future leadership transitions. 

Discuss how important individuals may leave their positions over time and how the business aims to replace them.

Startups only

If your business is a start-up, describe why the founders decided to start this business together, how long they've known each other, and what motivated them.

Some roles or positions may be vacant for startups or businesses that are still in the early stages of growth. It is crucial to discuss these positions and provide a staffing strategy in such situations.

a team of programmers discussing how their profiles vary and fit into a business: management team business plan

How long should the management section of your business plan be? 

As a general rule of thumb, 2 to 3 paragraphs per individual can be considered a good starting point. This recommendation may need to be modified depending on the size of your management team and the specific characteristics of your industry:

  • If your business has less than five people: each member of the management team is crucial. To showcase the team's trustworthiness in such situations, additional information about each member's background, credentials, and area of specialty is necessary.
  • A more concise approach may be acceptable in larger companies with a larger management team. In this case, concentrate on key executives and give a general picture of the leadership structure rather than going into excessive detail on each individual.
  • The nature of your industry can also define the level of detail required in the management section. In emerging industries or those with specialized technologies, the reader may not be familiar with all of the details and so it’s important to explain how each team member contributes to the business.
  • In industries with strict rules and regulations - medical practice for example - your business plan's management section might need to focus more on the qualifications and experience of each team member. Mentioning their previous roles, especially if they were leaders in other organizations, can make your management section appear stronger and more effective.

Ensure a balance between providing enough detail and avoiding excessive elaboration (CVs can be included in appendix if necessary).

Need inspiration for your business plan?

The Business Plan Shop has dozens of business plan templates that you can use to get a clear idea of what a complete business plan looks like.

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Example of management section in a business plan 

Below is an example of how the management section of your business plan might look like. As you can see, it precedes the products and services section.

The management section of a business plan outlines the organizational structure, key team members, their roles, responsibilities, and expertise, demonstrating the leadership and operational framework of the business.

beauty salon business plan: management section

This example was taken from one of  our business plan templates .

In this section, we will review three solutions for creating a business plan for your business: using Word and Excel, hiring a consultant to write the business plan, and utilizing an online business plan software.

Create your business plan using Word or Excel

This is the old-fashioned way of creating a business plan (1990s style) and using Word or Excel has both pros and cons.

On the one hand, using either of these two programs is cheap and they are widely available. 

However, creating an error-free financial forecast with Excel is only possible if you have expertise in accounting and financial modeling.

Because of that investors and lenders might not trust the accuracy of your forecast unless you have a degree in finance or accounting.

Also, writing a business plan using Word means starting from scratch and formatting the document yourself once written - a process that can be quite tedious - especially when the numbers change and you need to manually update all the tables and text.

Ultimately, it's up to the business owner to decide which program is right for them and whether they have the expertise or resources needed to make Excel work. 

Hire a consultant to write your business plan

Outsourcing your business plan to a consultant can be a viable option, but it also presents certain drawbacks. 

On the plus side, consultants are experienced in writing business plans and adept at creating financial forecasts without errors. Furthermore, hiring a consultant can save you time and allow you to focus on the day-to-day operations of your business.

However, hiring consultants is expensive: budget at least £1.5k ($2.0k) for a complete business plan, more if you need to make changes after the initial version (which happens frequently after the first meetings with lenders).

For these reasons, outsourcing the plan to a consultant or accountant should be considered carefully, weighing both the advantages and disadvantages of hiring outside help.

Ultimately, it may be the right decision for some businesses, while others may find it beneficial to write their own business plan using an online software.

Use an online business plan software for your business plan

Another alternative is to use online business plan software .

There are several advantages to using specialized software:

  • You are guided through the writing process by detailed instructions and examples for each part of the plan
  • You can be inspired by already written business plan templates
  • You can easily make your financial forecast by letting the software take care of the financial calculations for you without errors
  • You get a professional document, formatted and ready to be sent to your bank
  • The software will enable you to easily track your actual financial performance against your forecast and update your forecast as time goes by

If you're interested in using this type of solution, you can try our software for free by signing up here .

Whilst it’s true that all investors aim to maximise profit, it’s also important to remember that they probably won’t finance a business if they are uneasy about the individuals running it. 

A well-written management section of your business is, therefore, critical in ensuring that your business plan is able to obtain funding and grow.

Also on The Business Plan Shop

  • 7 tips for writing an effective business plan
  • Where to write the conclusion of your business plan?
  • How to write the location section of your business plan
  • How to write the products and services section of your business plan
  • How to write the milestones section of your business plan

Know someone who needs help writing up the management section of their business plan? Share this article with them and help them out!

Guillaume Le Brouster

Founder & CEO at The Business Plan Shop Ltd

Guillaume Le Brouster is a seasoned entrepreneur and financier.

Guillaume has been an entrepreneur for more than a decade and has first-hand experience of starting, running, and growing a successful business.

Prior to being a business owner, Guillaume worked in investment banking and private equity, where he spent most of his time creating complex financial forecasts, writing business plans, and analysing financial statements to make financing and investment decisions.

Guillaume holds a Master's Degree in Finance from ESCP Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Business & Management from Paris Dauphine University.

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How to Write the Management Team Section of a Business Plan

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  • Business Planning & Strategy
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Of course, they'll read the market analysis section – and you can expect them to linger over the financial projections section. But if there's one section of a business plan that may carry the greatest weight with lenders, investors and potential strategic partners, it's the management team section. This is where you provide details about the education, qualifications and experience that you and your management team bring to your small business. Written in a crisp and focused manner, the management team section should help those third parties recognize what sets your business apart from others. And it should give meaning to that oft-repeated business maxim: “I don't invest in ideas; I invest in people.”

Gather Key Information

Before you put pen to paper – or your fingers to the keyboard – gather the information you need on your management team. At the least, you should have their resumes handy – and include them in the appendix of your business plan.

Also, be prepared to speak with members of your management team to fill in any blanks. Structure the management team section to include:

  • An organizational chart of your small business, including departments, department managers and employees. Biographical information about you, the owner, and any other owners. Specify your ownership percentage and exactly what your day-to-day responsibilities will be. Biographical information on your management team.* The credentials of any advisers who will be at your side providing expert advice, such as an accountant and a lawyer.

One Paragraph Poses One Big Challenge

Like many small-business owners, you may not think of yourself as a writer. So you may be relieved to know that you should devote only about one paragraph to each person you profile in the management section. But in the end, that should be one substantive paragraph, and it will require some finesse to pull it off.

As many writers will attest, being verbose isn't difficult; being concise yet enlightening can be a challenge. Put another way, you want to include only the most relevant and insightful information about your management team – and you want to be quick about it. So be prepared to edit your words ruthlessly as you structure the paragraph to include the team members' info:

  • Name and title. Education and professional credentials and some personal information. Primary responsibilities at your small business.

Expand the Second Component

Providing names and titles should be the easy part. The most robust part of your paragraph should proceed with ease if you include:

  • Education credentials, including college and major, and any relevant certifications. Employment highlights. Pick the last or last two titles and company affiliations unless there is something truly stellar in someone's past worth mentioning. Skills or specialties, meaning those things that someone truly excels at or is known for.* Notable accomplishments, which can serve as a subliminal message that they can be repeated at your small business.
  • Personal insights, which may include anything from community involvement to someone's rationale for joining your company. You have a lot of latitude here, so try to think in terms of what conveys the mark of a can-do, energetic person. If you're impressed by it, chances are someone reading your business plan will be too.

Spell Out the Third Component

Because you opened the paragraph with the person's name and title, you want to close it with a summation of the contributions you expect the person to make. Discretion here is important; you want to demonstrate to people reading your business plan that you've hired accomplished people, but you don't want to stray into the realm of hyperbole, either.

This said, after spelling out so many numbers and analytics in your business plan, the management section is your chance to expose the human side of your business. A good balance can be found in this paragraph:

Thomas Cole, Director of Marketing A mass communication graduate of Illinois State University, Tom brings to us nearly 20 years of marketing experience and a proven ability to integrate best practices into emerging businesses. Websites, smartphones and digital marketing all came of age as the proud redbird worked as a district marketing manager for ABC Media and then marketing manager for XYZ Newspaper Group, both in Chicago. Tom helped these companies navigate sea changes in the newspaper industry and return to profitability by developing imaginative and synergistic marketing campaigns. We expect him to replicate these efforts at Write-On Marketing, at least when he's not busy critiquing the latest creations at his family's award-winning Illinois winery.

Assuming that you believe people are your greatest asset, write your management section like the proud small-business owner you are – your instincts should serve you well.

  • NFIB: Parts of a Business Plan: 7 Essential Sections
  • Inc.: How to Write a Great Business Plan: Management Team
  • Entrepreneur: First Steps: Writing the Management Section of Your Business Plan
  • BP Plans: Coffee Export Business Plan

Mary Wroblewski earned a master's degree with high honors in communications and has worked as a reporter and editor in two Chicago newsrooms. Then she launched her own small business, which specialized in assisting small business owners with “all things marketing” – from drafting a marketing plan and writing website copy to crafting media plans and developing email campaigns. Mary writes extensively about small business issues and especially “all things marketing.”

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  • Leadership Development Plan
  • Knowledge Hub

After reading this guide, you will understand how to improve leadership skills training in your organization, and get actionable tips for building a leadership development plan.

What is leadership development?

Why is leadership development important, leadership development goals.

  • Define what type of leaders do you need
  • Align an employees career vision with your business needs
  • Create a list of leadership development goals and skills
  • Identify which methods of development to use
  • Measure and analyze the program results

Leadership development is the process of improving leadership skills and competencies through various activities.

In leadership development, staff at all levels are taught the invaluable leadership skills that allow them to properly lead, inspire and guide their teams to success.

This type of development is important to properly cultivate a culture of leadership throughout an organization.

Leadership development training can take on many forms, both on-site, such as internal training and mentorship programs, and off-site, such as training seminars, conferences, online training, or graduate programs.

To effectively action leadership development, an organization should create a leadership development plan.

This plan will lay out the steps that the organization will take, what is expected of staff who undergo this development, and how the development will help both the organization and the staff.

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Leadership development benefits an organization in a multitude of ways.

1. It drives better business results

Including higher financial performance and more consistent achievement within departments guided by proficient leaders.

2. Skilled leaders are more agile

An organization with empowered leaders can navigate today’s complex business environment and solve problems quickly and effectively.

3. Good leadership drives innovation

A workforce with effective leaders will be inspired to believe in, and work for, a greater vision.

4. Skilled leaders attract and keep employees

Good leadership can inspire higher engagement from their staff and reduce turnover. A great leader will attract talented new employees and will be able to keep the ones that they have, which leads to better work satisfaction.

5. Improves employee engagement

More than half of American workers are disengaged at work. Effective leadership that knows how to increase engagement within teams using purpose and recognition has been shown to increase profitability within an organization.

6. Improves communication inside and outside the organization

Good communication can make or break a company. If the leaders within a company make effective communication a priority, it leads to increases in productivity, better speed of execution of tasks, and a more positive organizational culture.

7. Improves Customer retention

Customers will be more loyal when leaders are effective in engaging employees. Leading by example improves the customer experience.

8. Increases employee loyalty

Inhouse leadership development inspires loyalty from employees, as it shows that there are growth opportunities available for them. It is also cheaper, and requires less time, than finding, hiring and training leaders from outside.

9. Proper leadership development strategy fuels business strategy

A properly developed leadership development strategy is an invaluable tool for driving and achieving the organization’s business strategy. In taking the time to understand what your organization needs from its leaders, you will better understand the business strategy that will work best for you. These two strategies go hand-in-hand, developing one will help in achieving the other.

No matter the industry, every organization can benefit from developing leadership skills from within their organization and prioritizing leadership in their company culture.

For a leadership development program to be effective, there must be clear goals that are set at the beginning of the process. Some, or all, of the following goals can be used as a starting point.

1. Demonstrate personal responsibility

A true leader owns their actions and the consequences of them, whether good or bad.

They are able to look at the outcomes of their decisions, and appreciate the lessons that both success and failure teach.

Employees notice if a manager never takes responsibility for their actions, or worse, pushes the responsibility for their failures onto their subordinates.

2. Practice self-discipline

When making decisions, it can be tempting to make ones that benefit the individual, rather than the team or organization.

A good leader considers all options then chooses the one that is best for the company, rather than themselves. This practice involves shedding bias and developing integrity.

3. Develop active listening skills

Sometimes leading means listening, rather than speaking.

Every member of a team has some valuable input and experience that they can share, and a good leader takes the time to create a space for discussion and actively listen to each person.

4. Expand and diversify knowledge

Leaders need to be well-rounded, with a wide array of skills in different areas of competence.

In taking the time to study fields that may be outside of their direct role, a leader will be better able to handle issues as they arise in a creative and agile fashion.

5. Focus on time management

A leader is not going to be much use to anyone if they are consistently running behind on projects and don’t have enough time to actually lead.

In focusing on proper time management, a leader can make sure that they set a good example and are available for their team.

6. Creating a culture of mentorship

A key role of a leader is to foster leadership in others.

Being able to identify and develop those skills in team members is an important aspect of a leader’s job, and is essential in the development of a leadership culture within an organization.

This involves coaching, giving actionable and constructive feedback , and paying attention to how team members are approaching challenging projects.

7. Improve communication practices

A leader is only as effective as their communication.

Great ideas and active mentorship won’t go far if a leader’s communication style lets them down.

Developing communication skills takes time and effort and includes building rapport with team members, understanding how, and when, to use persuasion, and improving conflict management skills .

8. Practice big-picture thinking

Leaders shouldn’t think small. Problem-solving and effective team management are dependent on a leader who can make decisions that will benefit the team not just immediately, but down the road as well.

Using these goals as a starting point will help an organization dial in on what is important, what changes need to be prioritized, and what kind of training will be most effective in developing the leadership that they would like to see within their organization.

Leadership development plan template

So, how to improve leadership skills within your organization? You should start with a leadership development plan.

It is the roadmap of how your organization is going to nurture leadership skills in employees of all levels. It should cover goals that align with both strategic business needs and interpersonal, or more human, needs.

It should address the needs of leaders of all levels within the organization, both current leaders and those you wish to train for future leadership positions.

An example of a good leadership development plan is one that has followed the following steps:

1. Define what type of leaders do you need

First of all, you need to understand what type of leaders you need, what set of skills are most essential for your business, and will be valuable in the future.

To do so, it’s better to take a step back and review your key business objectives, if you don’t have a clear list, then it is time to make it.

  • Create a list of skills that you are expecting to see in a good leader that fits your company. It should be aligned with your business.
  • If you have a different department that requires improvements in leadership, create a separate profile for them.
  • Assess where your leadership is. Create a leadership assessment for your employees. Using a variety of methods, including anonymous, email, and face-to-face feedback, your organization can develop a clear idea of where the leadership currently is.
  • Also, it might be good to have a list of employees who demonstrate an interest in management roles and are talented enough to take leadership roles.
  • Maybe you need a leader with a specific Management style . In such cases would be good to check them and prepare some questions for an interview.

2. Align an employees career vision with your business needs

Talk to the employees who will participate in this leadership development and try to align their career vision and path with your ideas and business path.

Having the same direction in development will affect final results dramatically.

  • Of course, a culture of leadership is easier to develop with engaged employees who view the organization in a positive light. So, sometimes it will be better not to focus on people who are going to leave the company.
  • One-on-one meetings will be the most beneficial tool for discovering what your employee’s career vision is. Make the time to meet with employees on a regular basis to ensure that the two paths are in accordance.
  • Be willing to listen to your employee’s ideas about what is needed both in leadership development and business strategy. You might get unexpected insight into your organization and ideas for the future.

3. Create a list of leadership development goals and skills

As discussed above, leadership development goals are an important part of this strategy. Without clear goals, it will be hard to understand what to do and how effective your plan is.

The required qualities and skills of your organization’s leadership will determine the relevant leadership development goals.

  • These goals must be achievable, measurable, and should correlate with the key business objectives.
  • Take a look at leadership skills , it might help you.
  • Create a list of goals and skills required for each individual or role.
  • Rank their importance so people will focus on the most valuable or important goals for them.
  • Define a clear timeline for each goal, it will motivate people to act.
  • Be clear about what success for each goal looks like. The clearer this list is, the more successful employees will be in reaching their goals.
  • Look within your organization for examples of success. It is better to show, rather than tell.

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4. Identify which methods of development to use and create a development plan

There are many different methods that can be used for leadership development:

  • mentorship programs,
  • formal training,
  • volunteering,
  • task forces,
  • working groups and committees,
  • changing the way the responsibility is taken,
  • and others.

You can read more about ideas on how to develop leadership skills in this employee development article.

Some companies will develop these methods in house, while others bring in a third party company who specializes in this type of development, it’s up to you what to choose.

  • We recommend creating a separate leadership development plan for each role or individual. It will make it more personal and role oriented, and as a result, it will be much more engaging and relevant.
  • Focus on those methods that fit you, some of them are expensive, while others require experience.
  • Think about the realization stage .

5. Measure and analyze the program results

As mentioned the development plan must be measurable, otherwise, it will be impossible to quantify its success.

By using measurable goals, concrete criteria, feedback from employees, and data, your organization will be able to measure the success of the program and make adjustments where necessary. Get more ideas from the Reviewing & Monitoring Results chapter of this employee development article.

  • Set timeframes and review results frequently.
  • Communicate with employees, their feedback will be really important.
  • Come back to the plan and adjust it if necessary.

Using these steps, your organization can create a leadership development plan template to follow. In doing so, a culture of leadership and positive development will be established, and beneficial results will follow.

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Ivan Andreev

Demand Generation & Capture Strategist

Ivan is a dedicated and versatile professional with over 12 years of experience in online marketing and a proven track record of turning challenges into opportunities. Ivan works diligently to improve internal processes and explore new possibilities for the company.

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Tips on Writing the Management Team Section of a Business Plan

Ultimate Guide On Writing A Business Plan

Free Ultimate Guide On Writing A Business Plan

  • December 21, 2023

10 Min Read

Management Section

A business is as efficient as its team and its management. It, therefore, becomes important for business owners to build a structured management team that achieves the objectives and goals set by the organization. Thus, making the management section of a business plan the most essential component.

Andrew Carnegie , an American steel magnate, beautifully summarized it –

Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.

A business management plan helps build an efficient team and formalize business operations . This helps businesses streamline strategies to achieve their goals.

It, therefore, becomes imperative that business owners pay utmost importance while writing the management section of a business plan.

So, if you are a business owner who is looking to formalize their business structure and write the management team section in their business plan , this guide is for you.

Here’s a sneak peek into what you’ll learn:

Table of Contents

  • What Is the Management Section?
  • Importance of the Management Section
  • What to Include in the Management Section?
  • Example of a Management Section Plan
  • Ensure That the Management Section Is Fool-proof?

Sounds good? Let’s dive in.

What Is The Management Section Of A Business Plan?

The management section of a business plan is an in-depth description of a business’s team, its structure, and the ownership of a business.

The section discusses in detail who is on the management team – internal and external- their skill sets, experiences, and how meaningfully they would contribute to an organization’s goals and outcomes.

Now that we have defined what is the management section of a business plan, let’s understand why it is so important.

The Importance Of The Management Section Of A Business Plan

The management section helps you to:

1. Convince your investors (banks and government agencies) to disburse loans and grants for your business idea

2. Prove that your management team can execute your idea and if not, help hire the right fit for a position

3. Share how your advisory board can help your team succeed

What To Include In the Management Section Of A Business Plan?

The management section of a business plan helps in formalizing and structuring the management team plan and is comprised of

  • The Management Team
  • The Management Team Gaps
  • The Management Structure

Let’s understand them in detail.

1. The Management Team

An organization’s entire management team can be divided into parts – the internal team and the external team.

The Internal Management Team

A business team consists of several departments. The most common departments are – Marketing, Sales, IT, Customer Service, Operations, Finance, and HR.

These departments may or may not be required. It purely depends on the nature and functioning of your business. For example, a dental clinic may not require a sales department per se.

The entire management team is compartmentalized according to their responsibility. This helps the business owners and investors be aware of the roles, benefits, ESOPs (if applicable), profit sharing (for sales), work contracts, NDAs (Non-Disclosure Agreements), and Non-Competition Agreements of the entire team.

It is recommended that business owners collect and document the following information about their team:

  • Educational Background
  • Work Experience
  • Accomplishments

The Internal Management Team

For example, your present VP of Marketing helped their previous company grow its bottom line from $3 million to $10 million over 18 months.

The External Management Team

The external management team is usually composed of – Advisory Board Members and Professional Services.

Advisory board members help by :

  • Establishing trust, showing results, and experiencing the table.
  • Increasing the confidence of investors and consumers.

This helps attract talented employees to the team. Credible advisory board members show great commitment to a company’s growth. Therefore, it becomes important to document their experience and specialization in the business management plan. The advisory board members can help give valuable advice that internal team members need or lack.

If your business has not or will not have VC funding, you may not require board members on your team.

Usually, board members meet quarterly or monthly to provide strategic guidance in place of stock options in your company. This helps attract the best advisors and motivates them to invest in your business.

For example, founders and business owners coming to raise funds in Shark Tank , a business television series, are looking for advisory members who would invest money and provide guidance on necessary steps.

On the other hand, Professional Service helps by

  • Offering highly specialized advice and sharing knowledge.
  • Business owners make key strategic management decisions.

Such services help businesses leverage skills that would be difficult to build and acquire over a short period.

Examples of such professional services are

Examples of such professional services

  • IT Consultants
  • Business coaches and consultants

After a brief overview of the Management Team of an organization, let’s dive into what to include in Management Team Gaps.

2. The Management Team Gaps

The management team gap is an important part of the management section. Primarily because it helps document if your management team currently has gaps or missing skills. Your team may lack a few required skills while starting. The management team gaps help you to be aware and make efforts to close this gap.

As a business owner, you must document what positions are missing and who ought to fill that positions or take responsibility.

For example, if you need a VP of Sales, clearly document this in the section.

Also, write down the job description and key responsibilities to be undertaken,

Example – You might mention that role required 10 years of experience in the sales domain. The applicant must have experience handling a sales team, closing new accounts, working in tandem with the marketing team, and having relevant startup experience.

Be as detailed as possible. This will help you build a checklist while interviewing the right candidate and also win investor confidence in your managerial skills.

Following are a few key positions you would want to include in your management team:

  • Founder and/or, CEO
  • Chief Technical Officer (CTO)
  • Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)
  • Chief Operating Officer (COO)
  • Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
  • Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO)
  • Head of Product Management (PM)
  • VP of Sales
  • VP of Marketing
  • UX Designer
  • Digital Marketing Manager
  • Business Development Manager
  • Customer Service Manager
  • Customer Success Manager
  • Sales Managers/Sales Staff
  • Advisory Board Members

Let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of the management structure.

3. The Management Structure

The management structure defines how a business organizes its management hierarchy. A hierarchy helps determine the roles, positions, power, and responsibilities of all team members.

The management structure also depends upon the type of business ownership. Business ownership can be – a sole proprietorship, partnership, or simply an LLC.

Following is a sample management structure of an organization.

The Management Structure

Now that we understand what details we need to document in the business management plan, let’s look at a few examples of the management plan.

The ultimate guide to starting a business

Example Of A Management Section Plan

[management section of a hotel], [management team], internal team members.

Name: Charles Fargo Role: Owner Responsibility: Formulating key strategies, defining budgets , and building a business plan Experience: 35 years of owning multiple hotels in Las Vegas Educational Background: B.Sc in Hospitality Management from South Dakota State University.

Name: Michael Clark Role: General Manager Responsibility: Overall hotel operations – guest interactions, revenue management, brand ambassador of the hotel, customer satisfaction, and experience, leadership to all departments Experience: 25 years working with several technology hotels as the general manager. Educational Background: MBA from Wharton School

Name: George Trump Role: Department Manager Responsibility: Manage employees, smooth coordination amongst employees, plan daily affairs of the department, strategize, prepare reports, and deal with complaints and suggestions. Lead team members to function as a team Experience: 15 years working as a department manager Educational Background: BSc in Hotel Management from Texas University

Note: There can be multiple Department Managers depending on the nature of your business. In the case of hotels, departments can include – housekeeping, logistics, security, food, and banquets.

Name: Donald Clooney Role: Marketing and Sales Manager Responsibility: Increase occupancy and generate revenue. Position the hotel as an option for leisure activities, relaxation, and holidays. Experience: 11 years working as the marketing and sales manager for hotels Educational Background: MBA in Tourism and Hospitality from Midway University

External Team Members

Advisory Board Member

#1 Richard Branson Responsibility: Strategic advisory for sustainable growth and expansion Experience: Founder of Virgin Group

Professional Services

[management structure].

Example Of A Management Section Plan

There is a gap in one key position in our startup.

#1 Chief Finance Officer (CFO) Responsibilities: Finance, Accounting, Tracking Profit and Loss, and overseeing FP&A (Financial Planning and Analysis)

How To Ensure That The Management Section Of Your Business Plan Is Fool-Proof?

“In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” ― Dwight D. Eisenhower

By building a fool-proof management plan and ensuring that all the intricate details are accounted for, we can ensure that your business has a greater chance of succeeding.

Business planning software like Upmetrics ensures that business owners, like you, get the management section planning correct on the first attempt itself.

You can also get started with a free demo today to discover how Upmetrics can help you plan your business in a breeze.

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Business Plan Organization and Management: How to Write Guide .

Sep 17, 2023 | Business Consulting , Business Plan , Organization and Management , Organizational Development , Strategy

Every successful business plan should include a section on organization and management. This section will help you communicate your vision for your business's structure. Here's a guide on how to write an effective section.

Writing the Business Plan Organization and Management Section

It provides critical information for those looking for evidence that your staff has the necessary experience, skills, and pedigree to realize the objectives detailed in the rest of your business plan.

What Is the Organization and Management Section in a Business Plan?

The organization and management section of your business plan should provide details about your business structure and team. This section typically comes after the executive summary. However, some people have it further in the document after the market analysis section.

This section generally is separated into two parts. The first concerns the organization as a whole. It gives readers an overview of the company structure, which is an excellent opportunity for the reader to lift the roof off your office and peer into its inner workings. For your legal design, you may set up as a limited liability company (LLC) or nonprofit/ charity or form a partnership. It’s crucial to include this section. However, suppose you’re starting a home business or have an already operating business where you’re the only person involved. In that case, you can skip this section or show the company registration details from either the company’s house or the awarding .gov.

The second part focuses specifically on your management team and introduces readers to each member — your chance to impress them with the many accomplishments pinned to your organization’s management team.

This section may seem less important than some of the other parts of your business plan, but the truth is that your people are your business. If they’re highly competent and accomplished, the implication is that so is your business.

Of course, if you’re a sole proprietor with no management structure or any employees, this section is unnecessary other than to talk about yourself and your achievements.

Every successful business plan should include a section on organization and management. This section will help you communicate your vision for your business's structure. Here's a guide on how to write an effective section.

The section on organization and management should outline the hierarchy, individual roles, and corresponding responsibilities. It should also highlight each person’s strengths and qualifications for their positions.

Business Plan Organization Section

The organizational section of your business plan outlines the hierarchy of individuals involved in your business, typically in a chart format. This section identifies the President or CEO, CFO, Director of Marketing, and other roles for partnerships or multi-member LLCs. If you’re a single-person home business, this section is straightforward as you are the only person on the chart.

Although this section primarily focuses on owner members, you can include outsourced workers or virtual assistants if you plan to hire them. For example, you may have a freelance web admin, marketing assistant, or copywriter. You may even have a virtual assistant who coordinates with your other freelancers. While these individuals are not owners, they hold significant responsibilities in your business.

There are various business structures, such as sole proprietorships, partnerships, LLCs, and corporations.

Detail the Legal Structure within the Business Plan Organization and Management Section

Here is an indicative list of business structures. It would help if you talked to your accountant and legal advisors to determine which legal form is the best for your business proposition.

Sole Proprietorship

When embarking on a business venture, it’s essential to consider the various structures available. A sole proprietorship is a structure whereby the business is not regarded as separate from its owner’s finances. The owner retains complete control and responsibility for the company. However, they are unable to sell stocks or bring in new owners. The business becomes a sole proprietorship if not registered under any other structure.

Partnership

When forming a partnership, it can either be a limited partnership (LP) or a limited liability partnership (LLP). One partner assumes most liability in a limited partnership (LP). In contrast, the other partners have limited liability and control over the business. Alternatively, in a limited liability partnership (LLP), all partners have limited liability from debts and actions of other partners, and there is no general partner.

Limited Liability Company

A limited company (LTD) or limited liability company (LLC) is a mixture of business structures that mixes aspects of partnerships and corporations. It offers limited personal liability to the owner and passes profits through to their tax returns.

Corporation

There are various types of corporate structures. A C-corporation enables the issuance of stock shares, pays corporate taxes instead of personal returns, and provides the highest level of personal protection from business activities. On the other hand, nonprofit corporations are similar to C corporations. However, they do not aim to make profits and are exempt from state or federal income taxes.

More information on company legal structures is available on UK.Gov and USA.SBA websites.

Describe Your Company’s Organizational Structure

This first step illustrates the positions in your organization’s employee hierarchy and how they all relate to each other.

This is usually done graphically as a guide, using an organizational chart, or “org chart” for short. People use a Microsoft tool, i.e., PowerPoint or Excel, to help.

Organization Charts typically follow a top-down hierarchy, starting with your CEO/ Managing Director in the top box at the top of the page. Lines extend down from that person’s name to boxes containing the terms of the CEO’s direct reports.

We have included an example organizational chart below for guidelines only.

Showing an organizational structure for a business

Identify your business organization structure and list your team members’ strengths and skills.

Those managers then have lines extending to those who report to them, and so on, down to your lowest staff positions.

This section will give your readers a quick understanding of your management and governance structure, the size of your organization, and your lines of control and communication.

Describe your Team in your Business Plan Organization and Management Section

In your business plan’s Organization and Management section, please provide a detailed description of your team. Y ou will discuss the company’s management team, starting with the owners.

This section highlights who is involved in the running of your business and who are the support professionals. It also includes the roles and responsibilities of managers.

Suppose the company structure is a multi-owner arrangement or some other multi-owner arrangement. In that case, you’ll want to include information for every member and their percentage of ownership and ongoing involvement in the company.

It’s important to discuss how ownership interests are split, their responsibilities, what they did before securing their current position, and how they came to be involved with the company.

Here, it would help if you talked about some of your critical team members. These people are directly responsible for large portions of your business operations.

Owner/Manager/Members

Within your business o rganization and management section, y ou should introduce the team and talk about their experience, qualifications, previous companies and achievements, role in the company, and any special skills they bring with them. Please provide the following details for each owner, manager, or member of the business within your business plan:

  • Percentage of ownership (if applicable)
  • Level of involvement (active or silent partner)
  • Type of ownership (e.g., stock options, general partner)
  • Position in the company (CEO, CFO, etc.)
  • Responsibilities and Duties
  • Educational background
  • Relevant experience and skills
  • Previous employment history
  • Skills that will benefit the business
  • Awards or recognition received
  • Compensation structure
  • How each individual’s skills and experience will complement and contribute to the business’s success

Perhaps they’re an entrepreneur, business coach, exclusive advisor, or industry specialist to help you grow.

This is an ideal opportunity for companies with an Executive Board of Directors, Governance Structure, or Advisory Board to introduce them to your readers.

Executive Board

Having a board of directors is essential for your management team. Without one, you may be missing out on crucial information. This section includes details similar to those found in the ownership and management team sub-section, such as the names, areas of expertise, positions (if applicable), and involvement with the company of each board member.

Strategic Advisors

Suppose you’re looking for funding for your business or to fill a gap in your knowledge, or you may not have the funds to hire an executive board. In that case, you must inform potential partners and investors that you have a team of professionals assisting you. This includes lawyers, accountants, and any freelancers or contractors you may be working with. When listing these individuals, include their name, title, educational background, certifications, services they provide to your business, and their relationship with you (i.e., hourly rates, projects, retainer, as-needed, regular). Additionally, highlight their skills and experience that make them an asset to your team you need

Does anything else make them stand out as quality professionals (awards, past working with credible brands)?

Spotlight on the Wider Team Structure

Now, you’ve showcased the management team in its entirety. You can provide brief bios for hiring team needs or secondary members and talk at length about how the team’s combined skills complement each other and how they amplify the team’s effectiveness.

It’s also important to point out any gaps in the knowledge your team is currently suffering. Your readers will likely be savvy enough to pick up on existing holes.

Therefore, you’ll want to get ahead of these criticisms and demonstrate that you’re already aware of the positions and complementary skill sets your management team still requires and how you plan to address the knowledge gaps with future hires.

Do you need help writing your business plan o rganization and management section ? 

Every successful business plan should include the organization and management section, helping you communicate your legal structure and team.

Writing a business plan can seem overwhelming, especially when starting a small, one-person business. However, it can be a reasonably simple task. This section of the plan should be updated if there are any changes to the organization structure or team members, such as additional training, awards, or other resume changes that benefit the business.

Creating your comprehensive business plan takes planning, research, time, and a herculean effort. If, at any point, the work becomes too much to handle, we can step in to assist.

Do you want an expert “second opinion” before creating your business plan or financial forecasts? Let’s talk !

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Contact Noirwolf Consulting today using the website contact form or by emailing [email protected] or call us at +44 113 328 0868.

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Management Team in a Business Plan

…we have put a team together…

What do the Investors look for in the Management Team?

Investors will be particularly interested to obtain answers to the following questions about the management team:

  • Does the team know its weaknesses?
  • Does each team member have a defined role to play?
  • Are there any previous working relationships within the team?
  • Is there a common objective for all team members?
  • Is there relevant experience relating to the business idea in the team?
  • What are the business ownership arrangements?
  • Is the team fully committed?

Business Plan Management Team Presentation

There is no set style for the presentation of the management team information in a business plan, but we suggest a simple format similar to that shown below. Full details and complete CV’s can be included in an appendix or submitted later if requested.

For each individual, the format shows details of their name, title and role in the business, and a brief biography of the person. The biography should have particular emphasis on the following characteristics and skills and show how they link back to the business idea discussed in elevator pitch section of the business plan contents article.

  • Past successes and failures.
  • Education and professional training.
  • Management and work experience.
  • Special skills related to the business idea.
  • Business reputation.

This is part of the financial projections and Contents of a Business Plan Guide a series of posts on what each section of a simple business plan should include. The next post in this series is defining the customer problem .

About the Author

Chartered accountant Michael Brown is the founder and CEO of Plan Projections. He has worked as an accountant and consultant for more than 25 years and has built financial models for all types of industries. He has been the CFO or controller of both small and medium sized companies and has run small businesses of his own. He has been a manager and an auditor with Deloitte, a big 4 accountancy firm, and holds a degree from Loughborough University.

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5 Steps to Creating a Successful Leadership Development Plan

Female business leader speaking to team

  • 27 Nov 2019

Leadership development is a key initiative for many businesses. Organizations not only try to recruit candidates with leadership potential but cultivate their current employees’ leadership skills.

In a survey by global research and advisory firm Gartner , 60 percent of human resources executives said they’ll focus on cultivating leader and manager effectiveness for their company in 2023. In doing so, they intend to nurture the professional development of potential leaders by developing specific leadership qualities, such as authenticity, empathy, and adaptiveness—representing a new kind of “human” leadership.

Additionally, a report by the World Economic Forum projects leadership and social influence to be among the fastest-growing workplace skills through 2022, which ties into a burgeoning trend for all workers to become lifelong learners to address emerging skills gaps.

For motivated professionals who want to advance their careers and assume leadership positions, creating a leadership development plan is vital to staying ahead of the curve and rising to the demands of the job market. According to Harvard Business School Professor Ethan Bernstein, the path to effective leadership is more fluid now than in the past.

“Once upon a time, you would enter a leadership development program in a company that might put you on a 20-year track to becoming an executive,” Bernstein says. “Many of us can’t even fathom that today. But that should be freeing in that it gives us license to develop ourselves and create our own individualized leadership development plans.”

As you plot your career trajectory and consider how you can maximize your professional influence and impact, here are five steps to creating a successful leadership development plan.

How to Design Your Leadership Development Plan

1. assess where you are professionally.

Mapping your leadership development starts with understanding yourself and where you stand professionally. Taking stock of your strengths, weaknesses, and workplace tendencies can help identify areas for improvement and anticipate pitfalls that could arise on your journey to becoming a more capable leader.

“In the process of identifying how what you’ve done before may or may not make you successful going forward, you raise your awareness about how what you already know will contribute to, or undermine, your capacity to successfully lead others in the future,” Bernstein says.

Completing an assessment can be a valuable way to reflect on your motivational drivers and limitations and gain a more holistic view of your personal leadership style . Pairing self-reflection with a 360-degree assessment enables you to solicit feedback from colleagues and peers, which can provide greater insight into how others experience you. In turn, you can build and leverage a keener sense of emotional intelligence throughout your leadership development journey.

Related: 4 Tips for Developing Your Personal Leadership Style

2. Set an Attainable Goal

Goal setting is an essential component of any leadership development plan.

“Just like anything else: If you don’t know where you’re going, you’re probably not going to get there,” Bernstein says. “It sounds overly simplistic, but that summarizes why goals are important."

Bernstein teaches the PACE model, an acronym for:

  • Pick a leadership goal
  • Apprise others in your inner circle of the goal
  • Collect specific ideas on how to improve
  • Elicit feedback on how you’re doing

The PACE Model in Leadership Development

PACE is employed by learners to select leadership development goals and chart a course of action for achieving them. The first step in the process, Pick, is centered on identifying and prioritizing a goal you can strive toward to boost your professional effectiveness. When setting this goal, take an agile approach and consider both the short and long term.

“You can’t lose sight of where you’re trying to go over the span of a decade—or even a career—which is why making long-term goals is important,” Bernstein says. “But we can’t, as human beings, make progress if we make the milestones so grand and far away that they seem unachievable. A little bit of progress each day keeps the frustration at bay.”

As you define and establish your key goal, consider how you’ll measure progress along the way to ensure you stay on track.

How to Become a More Effective Leader | Access Your Free E-Book | Download Now

3. Engage in Leadership Training

Leadership training can benefit you no matter your career stage. Beyond the opportunity to gain and practice the technical skills needed to empower employees and influence others , you’re exposed to faculty and peers you can lean on for support and learn and grow from. It can also equip you for future leadership roles.

According to Bernstein, honing your leadership abilities in a classroom setting is advantageous because it provides a low-risk environment for reevaluating and fine-tuning goals when you encounter setbacks.

“It’s helpful to have a group of people—we call it your ‘inner circle’—who’ve heard and embraced your leadership goals, and whose conversations helped inform how you would go about achieving them,” Bernstein says. “In moments of challenge and relapse, you can go back to them for encouragement and courage. You can revise your goals in a safe environment because you have a level of openness and vulnerability with those people built into the course.”

4. Interact with Your Network

A professional network is one of the most valuable resources in any leader’s arsenal, so make it a point to grow yours . Throughout your leadership development journey, connecting with like-minded peers can have a positive impact by providing opportunities to employ the knowledge you’ve gained and receive feedback on your progress.

These kinds of interactions are core tenets of the online course Leadership Principles , in which learners practice delivering feedback through video exercises that allow them to evaluate their effectiveness in various business scenarios.

“Ensure your leadership development includes some interaction with other learners and also with the people who are benefitting and suffering from your current capabilities as a leader,” Bernstein says. “We try to teach people to be good protégés, as well as good leaders. It’s an ongoing process. That interaction is important in making things that seem very theoretical ultimately become very practical.”

5. Hone Your Soft Skills

Effective leadership requires a unique blend of characteristics and skills .

“There are skills you need as a leader that you don’t necessarily develop in any other context, at least in a focused way,” Bernstein says. “These include communication; career planning; knowing how to create and evaluate authentic change in a person, including yourself; and negotiating career transitions. These are things you typically won’t do many times in your career, but they will be very important to continuing your leadership trajectory.”

As you chart your leadership development plan, consider how you can bolster essential soft skills like actively listening , practicing empathy , and creating value in a negotiation to ensure you’re prepared to tackle any organizational challenges that come your way.

Leadership Principles | Unlock your leadership potential | Learn More

Developing Your Leadership Skills

Striving to become a strong, capable leader is a commitment you can make at any stage of your career —although doing so sooner means you can reap the benefits longer. By assessing where you are professionally and thinking deeply about where you want to go, you can design a leadership development plan that enables you to channel your passions and build the skills needed to be more impactful in your role.

Do you want to enhance your leadership skills? Download our free leadership e-book and explore our online course Leadership Principles to discover how you can become a more effective leader and unleash the potential in yourself and others.

This post was updated on December 21, 2022. It was originally published on November 27, 2019.

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How To Write a Management Team Business Plan (With an Example)

When creating a business plan, the management section outlines your management team, personnel, resources, and the ownership structure of your company. This section should not only list the members of your management team but also how their individual skill sets will affect your financial results. We’ll go into detail about how to put together and highlight your management team in this article. This section can be conveniently organized by dividing it into the following sections:

Writing the Management Team Section of Your Business Plan

How to write a management team business plan

Consider using these guidelines to produce a powerful team business plan:

1. Collect resumes from each manager

Typically, resumes outline a professional’s qualifications, including their training, prior employment, and technical and soft skills. You can use the resumes of your management team as a resource when writing content for your business plan. Ask each manager to send a fresh copy of their resume Asking them to modify their resume to reflect their specific position within your company could be useful and make it simpler for you to create their profiles. Include copies of their resumes as annexes to your proposal.

2. Organize your management team into categories

The next step is to depict the chain of command within your company. List the profiles, going from the company’s owners to the departmental supervisors in descending order. Your management team business plan can appear more organized by using categories, and your audience will understand how the teams’ qualifications correspond to their positions. If your company has multiple divisions, categories may also be useful.

3. Write the managers name and job title

Finding the manager on their individual profile is the third step. Include their role title and first and last names in your writing. Consider adding their department to distinguish between them if there are multiple managers with the same title. To be more specific, you could write “Assistant Manager, Marketing Department” for various employees with the title “assistant manager.”

4. Describe their employment history

The employment history details prior positions your managers held in the sector. Listing the candidates’ prior positions can support your decision to appoint them as managers if they have experience as organizational leaders. Summarize their responsibilities and projects theyve coordinated in the past. You can also highlight your managers’ achievements in this section, such as awards they have won or helpful things they have done for previous employers.

5. Explain their educational background

The manager profile’s education section covers the institutions your team attended and the degrees they obtained. It can further highlight the manager’s credentials by demonstrating that they have received the necessary training to oversee other team members in your organization. You can also write professional certifications your managers have. For instance, listing a certification in spreadsheet software may impress potential business partners if you run a technology company.

What is a management team business plan?

A management team business plan describes the qualifications and experience of a group of managers in a company. Its goal is to demonstrate to potential investors that the professionals your business has hired are qualified for leadership roles because they have training and experience. It includes details that distinguish your organization from competitors. A potential investor or business partner may be persuaded to provide funding or work with your company if your management team’s business plan impresses them.

Tips for writing a management team business plan

The following three rules will help you gather data and organize your management team business plan:

Incorporate relevant information

Include information that is relevant to their interests in your management profile as a way to attract potential investors. List the qualifications of your leaders in relation to your company and your sector. By including pertinent information, you can demonstrate to potential customers that your team has the managerial skills they need. Be selective when gathering information about your managers to avoid detracting the audience from your goal.

For instance, if you work for a ride-sharing company, you might be looking for partnerships to expand into major cities. You could note in your management team business plan that your executives have experience in customer service, technology, and transportation, three crucial areas that can help the ride-sharing business succeed. The strategy shows potential partners that your team has the expertise to work in the field, encouraging them to collaborate with your company.

Use straightforward wording

Simple language can keep your management team business plan clear and understandable. It’s crucial that customers can understand your company’s organizational structure and which employees are responsible for what tasks. The size of the business and the number of supervisors there are may have an impact on the length of the proposal. But even if your plan is more detailed, keeping your writing simple can help you keep the interest of potential stakeholders. It might be beneficial to reread your sentences and omit any pointless details so that you can convey the key ideas of your message in fewer words.

Clarify information with your team

It may be difficult to include every qualification of an employee on a resume because they are typically one page long. To learn more about your team members’ professional backgrounds, think about speaking with them directly. Find out if they have any additional pertinent information to include in their profile that will appeal to potential customers. Maybe you should mention a gap in their resume or point out that they have more work achievements you can list in their profile. Clarifying details with managers can help you plan the content more effectively and prevent repeating too many details from their resumes.

Example of a management team business plan

You can write a management team business plan that is successful by using the following example of a team member’s profile as a model:

Management Team Member Profile

Jane Stewart, Director of Marketing

The marketing division is headed by Jane Stewart, who is also the coordinator of marketing, social media manager, and graphic designer. Her duties include keeping an eye on social media engagement analytics and creating creative consumer engagement strategies. Stewart graduated from Pine Ridge University with a bachelor’s in marketing and a master’s in business administration. She is professionally certified in social media management and content marketing. Stewart’s previous position was assistant marketing director at full-service advertising agency Oak Wood, where she saw a 25% increase in email and video subscriber numbers.

How do you present a management team in a business plan?

An organizational chart of your small business, including departments, department managers, and employees, should be included in the management team section. Biographical information about you, the owner, and any other owners. Clearly state your ownership stake in the company and your day-to-day responsibilities.

How do you write a management plan for a business plan?

  • Indicate the number of employees your business will require at each stage and their associated costs.
  • Describe the specifics of how your company’s human resource needs can be satisfied.
  • Describe your hiring needs, including a list of the particular skills that any employees you hire must possess.

How important is management team in a business plan?

A strong management team is especially important if you want the company to expand and grow as a whole. A management team is crucial for distributing leadership responsibilities as a business expands. If your business operates in multiple locations, it is essential.

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12 best leadership goals for smart team leaders in 2024.

Updated on February 15, 2024 by Luke Henderson

Leadership Goals

Great leaders always follow leadership goals, ensure their teams perform well, and help the business grow. But great leaders are not born but trained and created over time.

Setting leadership development goals is a key part of the process of turning yourself into a great leader. This involves identifying areas for improvement and skills that leaders should possess and then consciously working toward developing these skills.

Which leadership goals should you focus on in the coming year?

While that depends on you and your organizational needs, we have curated a list of 12 goals you can consider. These will get you started, and you can keep adding to the list over the years. Ready to learn more?

Let’s get started.

What are Leadership Goals?

These are learning objectives that help you become a better team and business leader. You can have long-term or short-term goals, but these should be well-defined and specific goals that can improve your leadership skills.

These go beyond personal development and help you become the leader your team needs. Your leadership goals should also align with your company’s values and overall business goals and objectives.

This guide will help you set the right professional goals , so keep reading to learn more.

How to Set Leadership Goals

Leadership goals should be set with the characteristics of a good leader in mind. Make a list of all the essential traits of a good leader and match them with your personality traits.

Do a self-assessment of your strengths and weaknesses as a leader to develop a list of traits you need to acquire and skills you need to improve to become a good leader.

You can use the SWOT framework to conduct this self-assessment. Use Nifty’s SWOT analysis template to make this step easier.

You should also seek feedback from your team members to identify areas of improvement specific to you. 

These insights will form the basis of your leadership development goals. You can then use the SMART goals framework to refine and polish your leadership goals , but more on that later.

12 Best Leadership Development Goals for 2024

If you’re not sure which leadership development goals you should focus on, here’s a ready-to-use list of goals to get you started.

Choose the ones that resonate with you and align with your objectives. Make sure you finetune these and make them as specific as possible.

Here you go.

1. Set Goals to Track Success

Everything starts with the end goal in mind, whether it’s planning for Q1 or revamping your website.

As a leader, you should not only set qualitative leadership development goals; you should also set quantifiable goals to measure your and your team’s performance.

It could be as broad as tracking the number of successful projects delivered and positive client feedback to more specific ones.

You should also measure your performance on how much improvement you’ve made on your leadership goals.

Tools like Nifty can help you create SMART Goals with just the click of a button:

Creating Goals in Nifty

2. Build Strong Relationships Within Your Team

This leadership goal doesn’t just focus on building a good rapport with your team but also on fostering great relationships among team members.

This is especially important in today’s remote first world, where many teams prefer to work remotely .

Here are some specific goals and targets you can set to achieve this:

  • Conduct weekly or biweekly meetings with your team to discuss work-related and other updates.
  • Schedule a monthly or quarterly one-on-one check-in with each team member to have an in-depth discussion on their performance and general well-being.
  • Organize regular events and team building activities to build community and camaraderie.

3. Become More Open-Minded

Being open-minded and adaptable is a must-have leadership quality. A good leader should always be open to new ideas and perspectives and adaptable to change.

If you close yourself to new ideas, you learn nothing and stunt your personal growth.

Moreover, adaptability has become a necessary leadership rather than a good-to-have one. The workforce is evolving, with people preferring to work remotely and have flexible work hours. You will become obsolete if you don’t adapt to the changing work environment.

That’s why this is one of the best leadership goals you can set for yourself.

To start practicing this, try making backup plans for things instead of being rigid and having just one “right” approach. Also, foster a culture of openness and honesty where new ideas are encouraged, not punished.

4. Appreciate Your Team

Don’t be the project manager who only points out mistakes but never applauds good work. People hate that; don’t be that person.

Make it a conscious goal to give more frequent positive feedback and appreciate your team members when they’ve done good work. This builds morale and shows your subordinates that you are fair and respectful of their efforts.

Here are some tips to help you with this leadership development goal:

  • Create a rewards and recognition program and publicly commend high-performing employees on their good work.
  • Send random emails or Slack shout-outs to applaud exemplary work done by an employee.
  • When giving feedback, make sure you include both positive and negative feedback, and keep the latter limited to constructive feedback .

5. Learn Time Management

Managing your time effectively is the key to being productive. Luckily for you, a lot of research has already been done on this, and there are numerous time management techniques you can use.

From Eisenhower matrix to timeboxing, there are a lot of things you can try. One such technique involves visualizing all tasks in a Kanban view , and Nifty can help with that.

See the image below to see how you can use a Kanban view to keep track of all your tasks and timelines at one glance.

You can also have an idea about dependencies and any other roadblocks just by looking at the task status. If needed, you can click on any task, and it will open the task details along with a custom discussion board for any communication:

You should also invest in good task management software to be more productive and save time on task allocation and tracking.

6. Stay Updated on Your Industry

While staying updated on the new developments in your industry is a best practice for every professional, it is essential for a leader or manager.

Your team should look up to you and come to you for answers when they need help. You should be knowledgeable and updated on the current industry developments and trends.

What can you do to stay updated?

Well, you can read books and research papers, attend industry events and conferences, and subscribe to newsletters from industry experts. You should also follow industry experts on social media to keep tabs on their opinions on the latest industry-related topics.

7. Empower Through Mentorship

Create a culture of learning and development by becoming a mentor and helping your team members upskill themselves. 

The most important thing is to keep your business operations an open door policy and encourage your team to come and visit you or ask questions anytime. There should be no communication barriers between you and your team.

You should also consider scheduling biweekly or monthly knowledge-sharing sessions where you or a team member can discuss work-related topics.

Hosting regular workshops and training programs is also a good idea to help you achieve this leadership goal.

Conduct one-on-ones, discussions, and more in one place. Try Nifty Free

8. Build a Dynamic Team

One leadership goal you should strive for is creating a diverse, well-rounded, and dynamic team. 

Such teams are great for idea generation and innovation as they bring different perspectives together. They’re also great at adapting to different situations and working on various projects .

Here are some tips to get you started:

  • Bring in people from diverse professional and personal backgrounds to form an inclusive and diverse team.
  • Create different pairings for different projects to get team members to work with different people and adopt a different approach every time.
  • Challenge your team by letting them take on new roles and responsibilities and working on an array of tasks, maybe even collaborating with other teams.

9. Always Get Feedback

Just like providing constructive feedback , seeking feedback and constructive criticism from your colleagues is equally important.

Being open to feedback is a must-have quality of any good leader. It shows your team that you believe in learning and don’t think you’re perfect.

Moreover, seeking feedback will help you identify and work on your weaknesses. It gives you a fresh perspective that you will not get from self-assessment and reflection.

Conduct 360-degree anonymous surveys quarterly or annually to get feedback from everyone who works with you. Use the insights to improve your shortcomings and become a better leader.

10. Develop Decision-Making Skills

As a team leader, you should be good at making quick decisions under challenging circumstances and a lot of pressure.

If you lag in this area, this should be one of the top leadership goals on your list.

Asking your team for input and involving them in decision-making can ease the burden on you and help you make better decisions. You could also enroll in effective leadership development and decision-making training programs to achieve this goal.

11. Become an Active Listener

Being a good listener is important for a good leader. By actively listening to your team members, you show them respect and tell them that you value their opinions.

But active listening skills entail more than listening; it also involves responding. Have a two-way conversation with people. Actively ask questions and follow up instead of just listening to them speak.

You should also encourage open and honest communication within your team by having an open-door policy or scheduling one-on-ones with your team members.

12. Improve Your Confidence 

This is one of the universal goals and should be on everyone’s list of self-improvement goals, not just managers or team or business leaders.

As a team leader, however, it’s even more important to display confidence and give your team someone they can look up to. If you’re confident, you will also gain your team’s trust and respect.

Contrary to popular belief, this is not a trait you’re born with but something you can develop and hone with regular practice.

Importance of Leadership SMART Goals

Like any other type of goal, setting SMART leadership goals is important. The SMART framework involves setting goals that are:

  • Specific : Clear, specific, and concise, not vague or generic. For example, instead of saying, “I want to appreciate my team more,” set specific goals like “I will start a monthly recognition program by the end of this quarter.”
  • Measurable: Easy to track using specific metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs). Leadership goals may be more qualitative than quantitative, but there should be a yardstick for measuring your performance in achieving your leadership development goals.
  • Achievable: Realistic and feasible to achieve based on your current situation and the time frame you’ve set for achieving your goals.
  • Relevant: Your leadership goals should be relevant to you and not generic to all leaders. Set goals to improve on areas you lack as a leader, not based on what people say good leaders should be like.
  • Time-Bound : Specify the time during which you plan to achieve your goals. 

Not sure where to start? Use Nifty’s SMART goals template to create leadership SMART goals for yourself.

How Can Nifty Help You Develop Leadership Goals?

Nifty offers a great feature called Nifty Docs that you can use to set goals and plan for the year to improve your leadership skills. Use it to create notes and checklists for yourself and mark items off as you make progress.

You can also use its goal tracker and milestones to track your progress on your leadership development goals. It is a great way to visualize your goals with clear timelines in one dashboard.

Want to check out other features that Nifty offers and things it can help with? Sign up to get started for free . 

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How to Talk to Your Team About a Decision You Disagree With

  • Ron Carucci

business plan leadership team

Upper management sometimes makes choices you don’t like. How can you navigate your disappointment with grace and resilience?

When you’re part of a company’s management structure, there will be moments when you’ll have to represent a decision your bosses made that you don’t agree with to your team. Carrying the proverbial flag on behalf of the powers-that-be won’t feel good, but that’s part of the job. Barring a decision or action that is immoral, illegal, or unethical, standing behind decisions that don’t go your way is one of the most challenging things you’ll have to do as a leader. Doing so effectively requires thoughtful preparation. Here are six strategies to use when you have to convey a decision you don’t agree with.

I recently got a call from “Taylor,” an executive I’d coached as part of a high-potential program at his company, asking to talk. He was irate. A project he’d spearheaded for the last two years was having its funding cut due to market headwinds. His bosses reassured him that it had nothing to do with the project’s progress or his leadership; it was simply “a hard call that had to be made.”

business plan leadership team

  • Ron Carucci is co-founder and managing partner at  Navalent , working with CEOs and executives pursuing transformational change. He is the bestselling author of eight books, including To Be Honest and Rising to Power . Connect with him on Linked In at  RonCarucci , and download his free “How Honest is My Team?” assessment.

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More From Forbes

How to create a roadmap for effective team building.

Forbes Coaches Council

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For a leader hoping to foster a more cohesive and productive team, creating a roadmap for team building can be a fruitful exercise. This process requires that the leader gain a clear understanding of the team’s collective goals, strengths and weaknesses so that they can tailor strategies that will effectively promote collaboration and mutual respect.

A successful roadmap to a strong team includes achievable milestones that will encourage team engagement and growth, as well as feedback mechanisms to help individuals adapt and refine their approaches as needed. Below, 16 Forbes Coaches Council members share strategies to help leaders build a team-building strategy and why it’s important to do so.

1. Evaluate Your Current State

First, evaluate your current state by evaluating the team and its members. Second, clearly define the team objectives—they must be actionable. Third, create a feedback loop—communication and collaboration are imperative for successful teams. Once these are in place, you can then develop strategies for conflict resolution, recognition and rewards, as well as ongoing assessment of the team’s performance. - Jessica Miller-Merrell , Workology

2. Create A Safe Space To Share Ideas

A leader is responsible for creating trust and a safe space where people can speak up and use their strengths and talents. The most effective team building is also co-designed by the members. When folks are involved, they are more engaged. Take the time to get ideas and share the leadership. - Wendy Hanson , New Level Work

3. Have Patience And A Plan

A roadmap for effective team building requires planning and patience. My client committed to an 18-month plan to train her department on a team assessment. She knew that due to budget, it would take time—but she laid out a process that resulted in her department being fluent and aligned on a methodology that helps them communicate, plan and execute their work. Patience and planning paid off! - Jill Helmer , Jill Helmer Consulting

Best High-Yield Savings Accounts Of September 2023

Best 5% interest savings accounts of september 2023, 4. provide the right levels of core ingredients.

The best leaders provide the right levels of the core ingredients that spark humans to do their best work. Those core human ingredients are clarity, autonomy, relationships and equity. These four elements are simply brain cravings every human has had since the dawn of time that enable us to survive and perform. Give teams the right levels of these four ingredients, and they will surpass expectations. - Alex Draper , DX Learning Solutions

Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify?

5. Understand Individual Strengths And Weaknesses

First, understand the individual strengths and weaknesses of each team member. This entails open communication, setting clear goals and fostering a culture of trust and respect. It’s about connecting individual roles to the larger vision, ensuring each team member sees how their contributions matter. Regular feedback and recognition enhance team positivity and belonging. - Pascal Bachmann , Strategy Achievers LLC

6. Create A Three-Month Plan

Create a short-term roadmap of no longer than three months since things change so quickly in today’s world. Highlight a few bulleted items—activities in each month that the team will try. Better yet, have team members brainstorm ideas for team building and then take a vote. The top winners will make the roadmap. Make sure that the roadmap remains flexible; if something doesn’t work, pivot. - Stacey Ackerman , NavigateAgile

7. Understand The Landscape Of Strengths And Opportunities

Creating a successful roadmap requires that a leader first knows the current team landscape of strengths and opportunities. The next step is to get crystal clear on what a high-performing team looks like for this group. Doing this work allows you to create a holistic roadmap that is broken up by quarters and enhances both relational and technical skills included in the experience. - Sohee Jun , S.J. Consulting, LLC

8. Know The People On Your Team

To effectively build a team, a leader needs to have a strong understanding of the people that comprise it. Successful leaders have a working knowledge of the strengths of their team members and a sense of how each can support their vision and the company’s business objectives. With such information, leaders can develop a roadmap to unify a team and navigate it to achieve corporate goals. - Kathryn Lancioni , Presenting Perfection

9. Focus On Safe Learning Instead Of Blame

Effective team building requires three parts: heart, direction and action. Many team-building initiatives lack at least one. For heart, ask the team: “How would you rate us as a team from zero to five? What impact would us being at five have on you?” Direction: “What three outcomes would get us to a five?” Action: “What five habits will get us to a five?” Focus on safe learning versus blame, and you will get there, together. - Maureen Cunningham , Up Until Now Inc.

10. Conduct A SWOT Analysis

A simple tool I recommend leaders use always is SWOT analysis. An ideal scenario is one where team members complement each other and can bridge gaps without needing the leader. When your team can operate effectively by leveraging each other’s strengths, internal assets and resources, then you know you have built an effective team. - Adewale Bello , Biz-Agility Consulting

11. Use The ‘Three Horizons’ Model

The best tool I’ve used as a team coach to support this conversation is the “ Three Horizons ” model by Bill Sharpe. This model includes strategic visioning, planning and execution. It begins with the end in mind (visioning) and gradually evolves to define required tactics and responsibilities. When done well, it provides the team with a plan where the actions support the achievement of the vision. - Lisa Walsh , Beacon Executive Coaching

12. Facilitate Cross-Mentorships

Cross-mentorships swap roles between team members for a day, providing firsthand exposure to each other’s responsibilities. This immersive experience builds practical knowledge and empathy about colleagues’ daily challenges that long-voiced frustrations stem from. Facilitated debriefs then crystallize key takeaways about the on-the-ground realities behind roles, dissolving past misinterpretations. - Devika Das , CORE Executive Presence

13. Be Clear On Your Team’s Purpose

First, be clear on the purpose of your team. What is it there to accomplish? Ask your members what they see as their strengths and challenges in accomplishing that purpose. Then, work collectively with your team to develop a plan to build on the strengths and address the challenges as much as possible. Do this with them, not by yourself. This will build buy-in. - Dr. Joel M. Rothaizer, MCC, ABPP , Clear Impact Consulting Group

14. Define Your ‘Why’

Define your “why” and the team’s purpose and goals. What needs do you want to address—for example, trust or challenges? Map your milestones and identify key team-building phases. Choose the right tools and leverage technology to promote remote team connection. Embed team building in everyday work; celebrate successes and milestones together. Measure and adapt; track progress toward your goals through feedback loops. - Richard Chiumento , The Rialto Consultancy

15. Be Vulnerable And Candid

Share yourself—warts and all. Be vulnerable; you’ll gain the team’s trust and respect. Allow the team opportunities to build trust with each other. Help them believe in the vision and imagine how success will feel. Discuss expectations and how the team will work out issues. Help people stay on track; empower team members to help each other stay on track. Have candid conversations. Celebrate! - Laurie Sudbrink , Unlimited Coaching Solutions, Inc.

16. Share The Map

A roadmap has several details, including the “terrain” (environment), “route” (path) and “destination” (goal). Too often, leaders don't share the map, creating confusion and dysfunction. Share the map! Be clear about what type of team you are building. Be forthright about the situation. Give details about the route. And keep everyone (including yourself) focused on working toward the goal. - Adam Cubbage , Center Point Leadership Development

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  1. Starting a new business! Must outline Your Management & Leadership Team

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COMMENTS

  1. How to Write the Management Team Section of a Business Plan

    A management team business plan is a section in a comprehensive business plan that introduces and highlights the key members of the company's management team. This part provides essential details about the individuals responsible for leading and running the business, including their backgrounds, skills, and experience.

  2. How To Write a Management Team Business Plan (With an Example)

    1. Collect resumes from each manager Resumes typically discuss a professional's credentials, including education, work experience and soft and technical skills. You can use your management team's resumes to guide you into creating content for your business plan. Request every supervisor to submit an updated copy of their resume.

  3. How to Write the Management Team Section to Your Business Plan

    By Eric Butow • Oct 27, 2023 Key Takeaways Who to include in your org chart The key traits to highlight Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. This is part 1 / 8 of Write...

  4. Writing the Organization and Management Section of Your Business Plan

    Key Takeaways This section of your business plan details your corporate structure. It should explain the hierarchy of management, including details about the owners, the board of directors, and any professional partners.

  5. How To Write the Management Section of a Business Plan

    The management section of a business plan helps show how your management team and company are structured. The first section shows the ownership structure, which might be a sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation. The internal management section shows the department heads, including sales, marketing, administration, and production.

  6. Management Team Section of Your Business Plan- Made Easy

    The purpose of including the management team in a business plan is that it provides an overview of your founders and key employees. Yet, in the beginning, that might be just one person. You can increase your plan's credibility by establishing a supporting cast of key mentors and advisors and including them in this section.

  7. How to Write a Great Business Plan: Management Team

    Who are the key leaders? (If actual people have not been identified, describe the type of people needed.) What are their experiences, educational backgrounds, and skills? Do your key leaders have...

  8. Reinventing Your Leadership Team

    BS Blair Sheppard is the global leader of strategy and leadership for the PwC network. He directs the team that is responsible for articulating PwC's global strategy across 156 countries and...

  9. How to Build a Powerful Leadership Team

    A leadership team consists of the organization's upper-level executives. This group often includes people with titles like chief executive officer (CEO), vice president, chief financial officer (CFO), chief operating officer (COO), chief information officer (CIO), and chief technology officer (CTO).

  10. How To Build A Skilled And Effective Leadership Team

    1. They are positive. This is non-negotiable, for it sets the whole tone for the team. In challenging times, they have to know there are solutions that they have the power to achieve. You must be ...

  11. How to present the management team in your business plan?

    Thorough profile A detailed profile for each member of the management team is necessary and should include the following details: Background information including their gender and nationality Their educational background emphasizing any degrees or certifications that are relevant to their roles

  12. How to Write the Management Team Section of a Business Plan

    Gather Key Information Before you put pen to paper - or your fingers to the keyboard - gather the information you need on your management team. At the least, you should have their resumes handy -...

  13. 7 Steps to Create a Leadership Development Plan

    7 Steps to Create a Leadership Development Plan - AIHR Home Articles 7 Steps to Create a… 7 Steps to Create a Leadership Development Plan Written by Rhonda Gardner 9 minutes read A leadership development plan is a useful tool to ensure that your organization has a strong pipeline of future leaders.

  14. Leadership Development Plan: Template and Example with Tips

    1. It drives better business results Including higher financial performance and more consistent achievement within departments guided by proficient leaders. 2. Skilled leaders are more agile An organization with empowered leaders can navigate today's complex business environment and solve problems quickly and effectively. 3.

  15. 7 Skills You Need to Effectively Manage Teams

    Team Management Skills All Professionals Need. 1. Clear, Effective Communication. As a manager, your goal is to help the members of your team complete tasks in a manner that is efficient, consistent, and aligns with the company's overarching strategic goals. To accomplish this, you must clearly articulate what those strategic goals are ...

  16. Write your business plan

    Executive summary. Briefly tell your reader what your company is and why it will be successful. Include your mission statement, your product or service, and basic information about your company's leadership team, employees, and location. You should also include financial information and high-level growth plans if you plan to ask for financing.

  17. How to Write Management Team Section in Business Plan+ Example

    The management section of a business plan is an in-depth description of a business's team, its structure, and the ownership of a business. The section discusses in detail who is on the management team - internal and external- their skill sets, experiences, and how meaningfully they would contribute to an organization's goals and outcomes.

  18. Business Plan Organization and Management: How to Write Guide

    A thorough business plan organization and management section introduces its readers to the team responsible for day-to-day operations. It helps them understand your company's structure, management team, hiring plans, or strategic adviser needs. It provides critical information for those looking for evidence that your staff has the necessary ...

  19. Management Team in a Business Plan

    The business plan management team section is only for people who currently work in the business not for roles the business intends to fill at a later date, these are normally included in the milestones section of the business plan.

  20. 5 Steps to Creating a Successful Leadership Development Plan

    1. Assess Where You Are Professionally Mapping your leadership development starts with understanding yourself and where you stand professionally. Taking stock of your strengths, weaknesses, and workplace tendencies can help identify areas for improvement and anticipate pitfalls that could arise on your journey to becoming a more capable leader.

  21. How To Write a Management Team Business Plan (With an Example)

    A management team business plan is a section of a proposal that indicates the credentials and expertise of a team of managers in a company.Its purpose is to show prospective investors that the professionals your company has appointed are educated and experienced, making them capable of fulfilling leadership positions.

  22. Business Plan

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  24. How to Keep Your Leadership Team Fully Involved

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  25. Seven Sections Your Business Plan Should Have

    This will ultimately drive sales. 6. Organization & Management. This can be broken into separate sections, but both leadership and plans for employees must be addressed. This should include a ...

  26. 12 Best Leadership Goals for Smart Team Leaders in 2024

    These are learning objectives that help you become a better team and business leader. You can have long-term or short-term goals, but these should be well-defined and specific goals that can improve your leadership skills. ... Build a Dynamic Team. One leadership goal you should strive for is creating a diverse, well-rounded, and dynamic team ...

  27. How to Talk to Your Team About a Decision You Disagree With

    Summary. When you're part of a company's management structure, there will be moments when you'll have to represent a decision your bosses made that you don't agree with to your team.

  28. How To Create A Roadmap For Effective Team Building

    3. Have Patience And A Plan. A roadmap for effective team building requires planning and patience. My client committed to an 18-month plan to train her department on a team assessment.