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CEO KPIs
Startup Company & Beyond 
​By Mansour Baker, SHRM-CP
Posted 15 May 2019   |   Revised 26 May 2021
​A start-up company strategic objectives are to successfully implement strategy, build a strong human capital and design effective organization and operations which are then translated to CEO Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
​Successfully Implement Strategy
​Agreed overall KPIs
  • Return on Investment vs. overall benchmark return
  • Adherence to budget
  • Total cost ratio
​Expectations
  • Return on Investment greater than overall benchmark return over 3 years
  • Actual portfolio always within bands agreed by board
  • Remain within 5% of overall budget agreed by board 
​Build Strong Human Capital
​Agreed overall KPIs
  • People development (based on CEO's upward feedback and the upward feedback scores across the organization)
  • Turnover/retention rates
  • Employee engagement survey result 
​Expectations 
  • Hire from top universities
  • Improvement in average upward feedback score across the company
  • Launch and implement new people development policy together with Head of HR
  • Refresh compensation structure to ensure competitiveness with market
Design Effective Organization and Operations
​​Agreed overall KPIs
  • On-time set-up of company
  • Adherence to company policies
  • Adherence to governance policies
​Expectations
  • Execute set-up activities on-time against implementation plan agreed with the board
  • Complete compliance with Board resolutions  
​KPIs developed for CEO is based on best-practice principles
  • Must track progress toward mission/goals of company (e.g., skill set development and culture)
  • No more than 7-9 KPIs, to allow & actively manage performance
  • Must include quantitative & qualitative metrics around performance, people development and collaboration
  • Must not incentivize short term gains, but reward long term value creation
  • Measure team contribution, not only individual performance
Longer-term: KPIs will need to evolve as the organization matures. KPIs will need to change with objectives
  • Priority shift from setup to continuous improvement
  • Launching internal management will shift some priorities + require KPI focus in new areas
  • Other priorities may emerge – e.g., in-house talent capabilities/cost focus required
Board Questionnaire
The questionnaire is designed to draw out each individual board member’s judgment on the issues that are key to the CEO’s success.
Company Performance 
  • Did the company achieve its financial targets for the year?
  • Do you expect the company to perform better financially in the next year?
  • Are you comfortable that the company’s financial statements are accurate?
  • Does the company have an annual budget planning process in place which is monitored and reported to the Board throughout the year?
  • Are you comfortable with the financial controls, systems and information processes currently in place?
Leadership
  • The company has in place a business plan approved by the Board?
  • There is a process in place for communicating, identifying and measuring progress of the business plan.
Team Building
  • The CEO has built a capable team of senior managers.
  • The CEO motivates and inspires employees to realize the company’s goals and visions.
  • There is an appropriate level of staff turnover.
Exhibit 1
CEO Performance Focus
Board Questionnaire for CEO performance
How to define, measure and report a key performance indictor?
​Introduction
Once an organization has analyzed its vision & mission, identified all its stakeholders, and defined its goals & objectives, it needs a way to measure progress toward those goals & objectives. Key Performance Indicators are those measurements.
 
Key Performance Indicators, also known as KPIs or Key Success Indicators (KSIs), help an organization define and measure progress toward organizational goals & objectives.
 
Key Performance Indicators are quantifiable measurements, agreed to beforehand, that reflect the critical success factors of an organization. They will differ depending on the organization.
 
In any Organization there may be dozens of KPIs to track performance. Which ones are significant for any firm at any time depends on what the business is planning to achieve and what current situation states is.
 
What is a goal?
Goals are long-term aims that you want to accomplish or statements you make about the future for your business.
 
What is an objective?
Objectives are more specific and easier to measure than goals. They are written without emotion, and they are typically specific, measurable, achievable and quantifiable. They also are realistic and have an associated timeline.
 
What is SMART?
SMART (specific - measurable - achievable - realistic - time related) is an acronym used in setting objectives.
 
What is a Key Performance Indicator (KPI)?
KPI is a way of measuring (performance) how well we as individuals or how well entire companies or business units are performing. A KPI should help us understand how well a company, business unit or individual is performing compared to their goals and objectives.

Goal versus Objective
  • Goals are broad; Objectives are narrow
  • Goals are general; Objectives are specific
  • Goals are long term; Objectives are short term
  • Goals cannot be measured; Objectives are measurable

Objectives map onto goals and once met, objectives contribute to the achievement of goals.

What are the reasons for objectives?
  • Objectives helps the organization stay focus
  • Objectives involves people on the same page
  • Objectives defines what done looks like

Objective versus KPI
For example, your objective might be “preferred leader in market segment A by 4th quarter of 2019." The KPI might be "number of accounts converted to key accounts per quarter in  segment A". 

How to define, measure and report a KPI?
  • Ask yourself how are you going to measure (KPI) your activities towards objective achievement and keep it simple.
  • Define the unit of measurement ($, %, #, etc.). What unit of measurement will be used to measure a KPI.
  • Where the data source of the measurement will come from (internal/external documents, budget, marketing campaigns, databases, reports, programs, transactions, project schedule, etc.)?
  • How frequent will you report (monthly/quarterly/bi-annually/annually) on the selected KPI.

​Shop Related Products 

Performance Management Manual

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Key Performance Indicators Dictionary

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Authority Matrix Template

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