{"id":4489,"date":"2025-05-11T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-11T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ellevatedoutcomes.com\/?p=4489"},"modified":"2026-06-24T13:05:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T13:05:25","slug":"my-favorite-canva-org-chart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zudigitest.com\/ellevatedoutcomes\/my-favorite-canva-org-chart\/","title":{"rendered":"My Favorite Canva Org Chart (and how to create your own)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This quarter, we continue to talk about hiring. It’s tricky, it’s scary, and <\/em>it can be life-changing for a small business. Last week, I teed up this series by sharing a starting point to answer How to Know if You’re Ready to Hire<\/a>. And this week, I’ll take you through a practical, yet visionary future-casting exercise to chart the course of your People path, via my favorite Canva org chart. And don’t worry: the concepts are applicable whether you use Canva or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Ellevated Outcomes’ perspective, the timing for this teaching is kismet, as our new Strategist starts tomorrow(!!). So last week, I updated our current and future org charts, to ensure they’re still pointed in the direction we want to go. I’ll present these to our new teammate during new hire onboarding. They’ll provide extra clarity and context of where our organization is today and where we plan to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So without further ado, here’s how to make your <\/em>future org chart…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1. Begin with the future.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most people start their org chart work by capturing the organization today. This is a mistake. Instead, start with what you want the organization to look like, 3 years from now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why? Three years is far enough in the future to not get hung up on details like, \u201cHow am I going to pay for this?” and “How will I find this person?\u201d But it\u2019s not far enough for you to be distracted with, \u201cHow in the world will I know what\u2019s going to happen in 10 years\u2019 time?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three years is a nice sweet spot to suspend reality yet feel just<\/em> within reach. Plus, you already have some goals and a 3-year vision, care of your annual planning<\/a>. So, prepare your mindset for this. It’s not about today; it’s about 3 years from now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Stephen Covey says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Begin with the end in mind.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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2. Ask: what roles do you need, to fulfill this 3-year vision?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pull out your 3-year description. As a reminder, it will look something like a 1-2 paragraph narrative that starts with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On [insert specific date, 3 years from now] my business looks, feels, and performs like _______…<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Once you’ve centered yourself on that, ask:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What roles <\/em>will I need for my business to look, feel, and perform like _______?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Please note that I used a subtle but important word above: “What ‘roles’ will I need?” Not “‘Who’ will I need?\u201d There’s a big difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Capture the work <\/em>that your future business will need. Do not think about the people who work for you today.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I know it sounds harsh (and scary). But in reality, we find that most small businesses have the wrong butts in the wrong seats. Often, <\/p>\n\n\n\n