Let's rank all of your company's overhead and G&A costs, efforts, strategies, initiatives, and whatever from 1 to 10 on a sliding scale from Avoids Failure (1) to Creates Success (10).

Where does filing tax returns and paying taxes rank? They should be very close to the "Avoids Failure" end of the scale, scored at a one or two, because no matter how well your firm competently and correctly files returns and pays taxes you will not succeed as a result. Correct Returns and taxes paid does help you Avoid Failure - a particularly nasty form of failure that may include a loss of liberty and some hefty financial penalties.

On the other side, conducting a highly successful business development program is specifically aimed at Creating Success - growing revenue - and should score a nine or ten. Clearly both types of activities are required for your firm to succeed. The issue is their balance.

Look at the cost and effort in your accounting system. It is rigorous and systematic (for your sake, I hope so) but it deals almost exclusively with what has happened - history - and not what is going to happen - your future. Your accounting system should rank in the 3 to 6 range - does a lot to Avoid Failure and a little to Create success. The greatest accounting system in the world will not cause your revenue to grow. And, it is a significant part of your overhead costs.

Your business development system deals almost exclusively with your future and your ability to Create Success. Is it rigorous and systematic? Is your investment in business development appropriate and balanced with other overhead and G&A costs? And, most important, is it effective? Does your business development system produce consistent, long-term revenue growth?

The most important step a CEO can make is creating a balance between the costs and effort to avoid failure and create success and to assure that those efforts produce effective results.