Is your mission-critical team being seen?

You could rightly argue that every team is essential to the organisation’s success… but there is probably a narrower cohort that are critical to your current objectives and strategy.

• Your sales/BD team.
• Your team of advisors in a strategic growth focus area.
• The team targeting a new market share.
• The team leading a pivot or positioning change in the business.

It’s likely that for your mission-critical team to succeed, they need to be SEEN.

REALLY seen.

Industry example: Energy & Resources

Mining is the classic example of an industry faced with changes in strategic focus, in products and services, and even in how they are seen!

Energy and resources are in the spotlight during a time when every business needs to demonstrate greater accountability for ESG and sustainability; they are tasked with leading the ‘green energy transition’ and ambitious climate goals.

For many energy and resources organisations, the people developing new, greener business make up the mission-critical teams. The challenge for these newly-formed teams, undertaking and selling new work, is essentially to make a name for themselves – not only to be known among competitors and by important external stakeholders for what they can offer, but to prove their value internally with shareholders, board, executive and others within the organisation.

Whatever your industry – here are some starting points to assess whether your mission-critical team is being seen (and in the right way!).

Being seen EXTERNALLY = Making a name for yourselves among stakeholders and audiences

• Engaging, listening & responding: Is your critical team actively building relationships with new stakeholders and audiences, or with current stakeholders and audiences in new ways? Do you have an organised approach to this, a plan, accountability?
• Demonstrating transparency: Is your critical team sticking to authentic messaging about who we are, what we are currently doing and what we hope to achieve? Are they empowered to answer questions posed to them by media and social media communities?
• Reinforcing a strong brand: Is your critical team crystal-clear on how to articulate the brand and culture – who we are in business – and do they understand how everything they do and say either builds or breaks down that perception?

?Being seen INTERNALLY = Proving yourselves with shareholders, leaders and staff

• Why this: Demonstrating to the ultimate decision makers that a new strategic arm of the business is going to work is a foundational first step, mostly hashed out at board and executive level. Your critical team then has the job of proving the point – are they armed with the strategic thinking skills to reach goals in unchartered territory? And what support might you need to ensure everyone is clear on the most important thing to communicate about ‘why this’?
• Why us: Particularly with a new team or a team with a new focus, proving yourselves as a team is no small task. Ask yourselves as a team, ‘Why us?’ Why this particular group of experts, advisors or BDMs to do this job? Give your team the opportunity to reflect on the value they each bring to the collective, and how they can lead with that. (Guiding this exploration is one of the best parts of my job, because everyone is rewarded!)
• Who needs to know? Find structures to share your team’s expertise, plans, projects and wins with the wider organisation. How can they educate, inspire, or collaborate more widely? Bring everyone along for the journey to increase visibility and support for your team.

Author: Julissa Shrewsbury I Director, New Work Consulting