Day two of our consulting project began with a check-in regarding
the prior-day’s activities. The consensus
from the floor was that the process held great value for John’s team and they
were grateful to have the opportunity to share their thoughts in a non-threatening
environment. Also included were introductions
of new participants representing HR, Operations, MarCom, Public Relations, and
Financial Planning and Analysis. Since
John’s team could not operate in a vacuum, these relationships are key to the
success of the team. They were included to
ensure that they understood the Department’s objectives, the needs to execute
those objectives, and generally, to make them a part of the team. Additionally, their feedback and suggestions
during the process proved to be valuable.
After the check-in, Stan provided the set-up to finalizing
the team identity. Stan introduced the
concept of building a numeric value for the objective into their Logo and
tagline. Our experience has been that
doing so would help keep their focus on the primary objective. Then the small groups went back to work.
When the time was up, each team leader presented their work. The results
were impressive. Their thoughts were
much more focused and relevant. It was
evident that there was a lot of talent and creativity in the room. By the
end of the presentations it was clear that they were close to a consensus. It was time to turn their work over to the
professionals and to move on to the next phase of the program, developing the
plan.
Stan’s setup up for the Department’s final assignment included
six buckets for consideration:
Staffing/Resources; Leadership and Strategy; Culture; Tools and
Processes; Opportunities; and Results. Each
group was responsible for brainstorming each of those buckets, listing each
idea on a single 3” by 5” Post-it ™ note.
When the allotted time had expired, group leaders placed their ideas in
the corresponding buckets, (flip charts placed around the room). Stan spoke to each bucket list, putting
emphasis on the number of common thoughts in each category. The results were striking. It
was revealing to note the high volume of thoughts around Staffing/Resources,
Leadership & Strategy, and Culture, all three categories being closely
related. Tools & Processes,
Opportunities, and Results had less than half the volume of Post-it ™ notes. My takeaway was that the group was sending a
clear message that John’s leadership was vital.
They seemed to believe that the Department’s objectives were realistic
and attainable so long as they had a Champion leading the way. I am certain that John viewed this as very
favorable.
To wrap up the meeting, Stan recapped the process and
talked about next steps. John summarized
his take-away to ensure that the Department knew that he “got it.” He made a commitment to immediately address
some of the more pressing issues and to factor remaining issues into the plan. As a side note, the next week John gave Stan additional
work that included facilitating the Quarterly follow-up meetings, and a few
coaching assignments.
The result of this assignment was a win-win-win. For a new Executive it is wise to bring in an
objective third-party to facilitate team alignment as we come without biases
that could taint the results.
Additionally, it is more realistic for the Department personnel to speak
freely in front of outsiders who are not in a position to influence their
careers. If you are looking to develop
alignment and buy-in, a non-threatening environment is a good place to start.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.
Jim Weber, President
New Century Dynamics
Executive Search
www.newcenturydynamics.com
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