Some Thoughts To Ponder...
About Leadership...
Corporate mergers present many challenges for leaders! The reconfiguration of executive teams plays a fundamental role in setting the tone and culture for the entire organization. Unfortunately, however, sufficient time is not always devoted to laying a solid foundation for this important group of individuals.
A farmer knows that if he is to reap a worthwhile crop, he must first take time to prepare the soil and sow the seed. So too, the executive team needs to take time to establish its identity. What are each member's values and visions? Do they complement each other? How do they mesh with where the organization is headed? I know of one leadership team who used a three-day retreat to address these important questions. What resulted was a code of conduct or a type of ground rules for the executive team. It included very practical real life behaviours. The team decided that they would:
- make weekly visits to their business units to talk with their staff and clients;
- not blame external factors when things go wrong. Rather, they would take an introspective approach to determine how they we could do things better next time;
- attend staff events (and sit in the front row) to show support;
- ensure there was follow through. If a member failed to uphold the ground rules, his or her colleagues felt quite comfortable in calling them on it.
What did this executive team reap as result of taking time to set these ground rules? Daily they were building a reputation of connecting to the values and conscience of the organization.
This aforementioned approach is only one of the elements highlighted in Jill Thomas & Associates Inc management training program — Cultivating Leadership Excellence.
About Planning...
Organizations often spend many hours and resources in developing strategic plans. Yet, despite such an investment the strategic plan does not impact day-to-day decisions made in the organization. Ask any staff person what is contained in the plan and how are they contributing to its accomplishment. They will usually give you a blank stare.
I recently spoke to a group of energetic staff members who were attempting to explain how they were busily planning their new projects. When I asked them how they had decided upon these projects, they gave me a vague response noting only that their Director had talked to customers. What this indicated to me was that the staff did not have a clear idea of where exactly the organization was going. There was an obvious lack of alignment. In fact business unit planning was being done and the corporate vision and priorities (two of the most critical aspects of corporate planning) were still being developed.
What was clearly needed was a Corporate Integrated Business Plan that would cut through the clutter and link together all aspects of business planning (Eg: strategic, human resources, operational, financial and quality planning). What I believe was needed was a clear simple energizing vision that would both challenge and unify people behind a common purpose. This could be achieved by creating three or four corporate priorities and strategies to act as a template. This template would in turn help the teams/services/programs to develop their own business plans and tactical improvements for the future.
This corporate template is one of the key components of Jill Thomas & Associates Inc Integrated Business Planning process.
About People Development...
Sample a number of corporate visions to see how many of them offer insight into what their employees will look like in the future. It is surprising how many corporate visions fail to make any reference to their employees or staff. Those that do, often refer to them in cliche or trendy phrases.
The following statements from the General Electric vision provide a good picture about their aspirations for their staff:
We want them [our employees] to go home from work wanting to talk about what they did that day rather than trying to forget about it.
We want a company where people find a better way, everyday of doing things; and where by shaping their own work experience, they make their lives better and our Company the best.
Today we need to find innovative ways of doing things. While we implore our staff to be creative and independent thinkers, we do not always train them in those core skills that will produce results to move the organization towards its vision? Are your people development strategies in alignment with your corporate priorities? Do you have systems in place to promote staff participation, personal growth and excellence? Your people are your direct link to your clients!
It makes sense to capitalize on the expertise and intellectual wealth that exists within the minds of your employees. Investing in your people today will allow you to reap a strong return in the future.
At Jill Thomas & Associates Inc, we help our clients to Build Knowledge That Drives Innovation.
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