INSIDE BUILDER-OF-LEADERS MENTORING
Set a Senior Leader Output Benchmark
An example, not a client story.
You review your senior team's week and see that none of them could carry three times their old output. Ivanka Menken uses the Three-Times Output Benchmark inside Builder-of-Leaders Mentoring, a 6-month 1:1 programme at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST, to turn the scaling goal into a written output gap for each senior leader: what three times looks like, what they stop, and what they own. You leave each session with the first area to move.
The Three-Times Output Benchmark is a tool inside the programme, not a separate product.
AN EXAMPLE SENIOR TEAM
Five senior leaders, one written gap each
- Output nowBusy, the same shape as last year
- Three timesWritten in each leader’s own work
- First areaOwned by one leader
THE BENCHMARK
“Three times the old output, and what each leader stops to get there.”
An example, not a client result. Your leaders will differ.
SOUND FAMILIAR?
A busy senior team, and the load still on you
- 01Your senior leaders are busy but not carrying more output.
- 02You cannot say what three times the old output looks like.
- 03You are still the benchmark for every decision.
AN EXAMPLE WEEK
It is Friday, and you are reading back your five senior leaders' week. Every calendar is full. Every leader worked hard. And the decisions that matter still came to you, because nobody has written down what each of them should now be producing. The firm wants to scale, and the only benchmark anyone knows is you.
THE SENIOR TEAM, AS IT STANDS
- Senior leaders: five, all busy
- Output each one owns: not written
- What three times looks like: unknown
- What they would stop: not discussed
- The benchmark for every decision: the founder
An example week. Your team is yours.
WHAT IVANKA SEES
A concrete output gap, not a broader title
Scaling a firm starts with a concrete output gap, not a broader title. Give a senior leader a bigger title and the work stays the same shape. Write down what three times the old output looks like, and the leader can see the gap, the work to stop and the work to own.
Scaling starts with a concrete output gap, not a broader title.
THE COST OF STAYING STUCK
Without a three-times benchmark, five senior leaders can stay busy for a year without changing the founder's load. Effort goes up. Output per leader stays where it was, and every decision still waits for you.
Three-Times Output Benchmark
Three times the old output, written for each leader
The Three-Times Output Benchmark writes, for each senior leader, what their old output was, what three times that looks like, what they would stop doing to get there, and what they would own outright.
An example senior team. Tap a part. Your leaders and their benchmarks are yours.
Three-Times Output Benchmark · a framework by Ivanka Menken
What it is
It is a one-page benchmark per leader, read side by side for the whole senior team. The three-times gap is made explicit, and one area is marked as the first to move.
What it replaces
It replaces the vague scaling goal, the promotion that changes the title and not the work, and the founder as the only standard anyone measures against.
It sits inside Builder-of-Leaders Mentoring, beside the Release Dial and the release commitments kept on the monthly scorecard. The first area to move becomes a fortnightly release. There is no separate checkout.
THE BENCHMARK, ON ONE PAGE
- 01The old output: what this leader produces now
- 02Three times: the same output, three times over, written in their own work
- 03Stop: what they would stop doing to get there
- 04Own: what they would own outright, without the founder
- 05The first area: the one place the benchmark moves first
- 06The check: the output gap, read on the monthly scorecard
INSIDE A SESSION
Write the gap, one leader at a time
In an example session, Ivanka takes the senior team one leader at a time and asks three questions: what does three times the old output look like for this leader, what would they stop doing, and what would they own? She turns each answer into a written gap. The founder leaves with a one-page output benchmark for the team, the three-times gap for each leader, and the first area to move. Before the next session, the founder talks it through with that leader.
ONE LEADER'S BENCHMARK, FILLED IN
- Leader
- Delivery lead
- Old output
- The client work the founder used to deliver.
- Three times
- The same output, three times over, without your review.
- Stop and own
- Stop status meetings and rework. Own client sign-off.
- First area to move
- Client sign-off, for 14 days, with no override.
An example. Your leaders are yours.
THE FOUR-STEP LOOP
- 1The one thingOne senior leader and their three-times benchmark.
- 2The numbersTheir output now, and what three times looks like.
- 3The storyWhy it feels safer to keep being the benchmark yourself.
- 4The commitmentThe first area to move, written as a release.
THE QUESTIONS
- What does this leader produce now, in a normal week?
- What does three times that output look like?
- What would they stop doing to get there?
- What would they own outright, without you?
- Which area moves first?
Before the next session, the founder takes the benchmark to the first leader, agrees the gap and the first area in writing, and stays out of that area for 14 days.
WHAT CHANGES OVER THE PROGRAMME
Each senior leader has a written gap
By month 6, the senior team works to written output benchmarks, not to the founder's last answer.
NOW
- Five senior leaders, busy, with no written output.
- The scaling goal is a feeling, not a gap.
- Titles grow; the work stays the same shape.
- The founder is the benchmark for every decision.
BY MONTH 6
- A written three-times benchmark for each senior leader.
- A first area where the benchmark is owned by a leader.
- A monthly scorecard check on the output gap.
- One release each fortnight, moving the next area.
THE 12 FORTNIGHTS
- 1Call
- 2Call
- 3Call
- 4Call
- 5Call
- 6Month 3
- 7Call
- 8Call
- 9Call
- 10Call
- 11Call
- 12Month 6
The programme is the container: 12 fortnightly 60-minute sessions, one release each fortnight, and reviews at month 3 and month 6.
ILLUSTRATIVE RESULT
In the example, the founder writes a three-times benchmark for each of five senior leaders, and the delivery lead owns the first area, client sign-off, for 14 days without the founder's review. The output gap is read on the next monthly scorecard. Illustrative, not a client result.
WHY IVANKA
She has scaled a firm past herself
Ivanka Menken is co-founder of The Art of Service, with 25 years scaling across 160+ countries. She built Builder-of-Leaders Mentoring for founders of $500K to $3M businesses who build leaders but still do it all.
She asks what each leader should be producing, and holds you to the release you write down. If your senior team is busy and your load has not changed, the decision in front of you is the first benchmark. Write it for one leader before the next review of the week.
“Helps founders lead with clarity and integrity by modelling vulnerability, emotional intelligence, and grounded decision-making. Creates an environment where leaders can openly explore challenges and grow without fear of judgement.”
R.W., founder
WHO IT IS FOR
Who fits, and who does not
It fits
- You run a $500K to $3M firm with a senior team of leaders.
- Your leaders are busy, and your load has not changed.
- You want to scale without being the benchmark yourself.
- You will write the benchmark and take it to each leader.
It does not fit
- You want leadership theory.
- You want a done-for-you fix or someone to manage your leaders.
- You want a performance management system or HR advice.
- You are not ready to stay out of the first area for 14 days.
THE INVESTMENT
AUD $1,500
per month ex GST
6 months · 12 fortnightly sessions
The Three-Times Output Benchmark is part of Builder-of-Leaders Mentoring, a 6-month 1:1 programme at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST. It is not sold separately.
- 12 fortnightly 60-minute sessions
- One release each fortnight
- A monthly scorecard with release commitments kept
- Reviews at month 3 and month 6
Founding places are AUD $1,000 a month. Three founding places in total, shared across all 1:1 mentoring, in return for honest monthly feedback and a testimonial, which can be anonymous. GST is added at checkout. Claim a founding place.
The Three-Times Output Benchmark is one of the tools inside the programme. It is not sold separately.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Questions about the Three-Times Output Benchmark
How does the Three-Times Output Benchmark work inside Builder-of-Leaders Mentoring?
It is a one-page benchmark per senior leader, written in a session with Ivanka Menken: the old output, what three times looks like, what they stop and what they own. The first area to move becomes a fortnightly release. Builder-of-Leaders Mentoring runs 6 months at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST, and the tool is part of it.
What does three times the old output look like?
It is written in the leader's own work, not as a percentage: three times the clients served, the projects delivered or the decisions made, without the founder reviewing each one. Ivanka Menken helps you describe it for each leader inside Builder-of-Leaders Mentoring, 6 months at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST.
How do I set the benchmark without guessing?
Start from a normal week of what the leader produces now, then write three times that in the same terms. The questions about what they would stop and own test whether it is real. Ivanka Menken works through each one with you in Builder-of-Leaders Mentoring, which runs 6 months at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST.
What if a senior leader cannot meet it?
Then the benchmark has shown you where the gap is: the work they should stop, the area they do not yet own, or a role that needs a different person. You decide that with the facts written down. Ivanka Menken works it through with you inside Builder-of-Leaders Mentoring, 6 months at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST. It is coaching, not HR advice.
Write the first benchmark this fortnight
If your senior leaders are busy and your load has not changed, start with Builder-of-Leaders Mentoring. The Three-Times Output Benchmark is inside it, and the 20-minute intro call is where you can see whether it fits.