#023: Teamwork and alignment

I was recently reminded of Jim Collins’s first lesson on great companies: “First who, then what”.?

A principle that is mission-critical for creating a great company and equally essential for successful change management.?

Here’s my two pennies’ worth: In a business-as-usual environment, even if the leadership team isn’t fully aligned, employees typically know how to do their jobs. They?might not always be clear on their objectives, but they will find work arounds to get things done.?

However, during times of change,?mixed messages from the leadership can lead to confusion and complexity. Instead of focusing on the how (they are going to deliver change), employees spend their time deciphering what they are supposed to do and what the changes mean.?

The challenge is that achieving alignment within?a leadership team isn’t easy. It requires trust and vulnerability for people to openly and constructively express?when they don’t agree with a peer or don’t understand something.?

For effective change management, ensure your leadership team is aligned on:?

• Your 3-5 year direction of travel as a business?
• The 5-7 key priorities for the business each year, across everything you do?
• How to balance delivering current business needs with implementing changes ?
• Individual and collective responsibilities, including how you will hold yourselves and each other accountable?

Not easy, but essential!?

This month’s newsletter is dedicated to teamwork and alignment, delivered as always in 3 short tips, 2 things I have liked, and 1 call-to-action.?

3 short tips?

Here are three things you can do as a leadership team to set yourselves up for success:??

1. Learn to iterate your thinking over time?

Working out what you want to achieve as a leadership team – your shared vision for the business – doesn’t happen overnight. Take the time to evolve your thinking. Keep iterating until you are agreed on a draft you are happy to share more widely with everyone else in the business. It’s important that your heart is in the game as much as your head.?

2. Post-it note exercise to agree your priorities??

It’s highly likely you are all working on slightly different priorities at different times. While this makes sense within your individual parts of the business, it can lead to overwhelming change when combined. Map out all the changes you are making along a three-year timeline and see where there are opportunities to consolidate and sequence initiatives. ?

Be realistic about what you can achieve as a business in any one year and push out things into years 2 and 3 where you need to. It’s always better to over deliver than under deliver!?

3. Build commitment to each other as a team?

Often, our loyalty is to our team of direct reports rather than the leadership team.?Let’s face it, it’s easier to give feedback and hold a direct report accountable than to have a conversation with a peer about the same thing. However, how you behave as a leadership team, and your effectiveness to work together, sets the tone for the rest of the business. See your peers in the leadership team as your number one team and invest your energy in working towards becoming a high performing unit.?

2 things I have liked??

1. The balloon exercise?

This LinkedIn post, a simple yet powerful metaphor, illustrates an important life lesson about the value of teamwork and cooperation. ?

2. Inclusion builds commitment?

Make sure everyone in the team has spoken on a topic before you make a decision as a leadership team.?Silence is not agreement.?

Call-To-Action?

Reflect on how your team can improve alignment and teamwork. What steps can you take to ensure your leadership team is fully aligned and effectively communicating? ?

Share your thoughts and experiences with us.?

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