How to Build a Good Leadership Team
A
leadership team is a group of people who are responsible for setting the
direction, strategy, and culture of an organization. A great leadership team
can inspire, motivate, and empower employees, customers, and stakeholders, and
drive the organization towards its vision and goals. However, building a great
leadership team is not easy. It requires careful planning, selection,
communication, and development of leaders who share a common purpose, values,
and skills.
I will
discuss how to build a great leadership team in six steps:
1)
Determine what you want leaders to prioritize.
2)
Identify and recruit potential leaders.
3)
Communicate the company vision and values.
4)
Value diversity and inclusion.
5)
Provide feedback and coaching; and
6)
Foster collaboration and trust.
I will
also provide some tips and examples from successful leadership teams in
different industries.
1)
One of the first steps to building a
leadership team is to determine what you want your leaders to focus on. This
means identifying the key strategic objectives and challenges that your
organization faces and aligning your leadership team around them. By doing
this, you can ensure that your leaders have a clear direction, a common
purpose, and a shared vision. You can also avoid confusion, conflict, and
duplication of efforts among your leaders. To determine what you want your
leaders to prioritize, you can use tools such as SWOT analysis, SMART goals,
and OKRs. You can also solicit feedback from your stakeholders, customers, and
employees to understand their needs and expectations. By clarifying what you
want your leaders to prioritize, you can build a leadership team that is
focused, effective, and accountable.
2)
The second step to building a great
leadership team is to identify and recruit potential leaders. Potential leaders
are people who have the ability, motivation, and aspiration to take on
leadership roles and responsibilities in the future. Potential leaders can be
found within or outside the organization, and they can be identified by
observing and measuring their behaviors, skills, and attitudes.
a)
Some of the ways to identify potential
leaders are:
They’re
engaged with their work. Potential leaders often demonstrate a
higher level of engagement with their work. They show interest, enthusiasm, and
commitment to their tasks, goals, and projects. They also seek feedback,
learning opportunities, and challenges to improve themselves and their
performance.
They
see failure as an opportunity. Potential leaders understand that failures
may happen, but they do not dwell on the mistakes. Instead, they use failure as
an opportunity to learn, grow, and innovate. They also help others
overcome setbacks and encourage a culture of experimentation and risk-taking.
They
have a high cognitive quotient (CQ). Potential leaders have a high CQ, which is
the ability to process complex information, solve problems, and make decisions
effectively. They
can think critically, creatively, and strategically, and they can adapt to
changing situations and demands.
They
have a high drive quotient (DQ). Potential leaders have a high DQ, which is
the motivation to achieve goals, overcome obstacles, and pursue excellence. They
have an unobstructed vision of what they want to accomplish, and they are willing to
work hard, take initiative, and persevere until they succeed.
b)
Some of the ways to recruit potential leaders
are:
Write
detailed job descriptions. When hiring external candidates for
leadership positions, it is important to write detailed job descriptions that
specify the roles, responsibilities, expectations, and qualifications of the
position. This can help attract candidates who match the profile and
criteria of the desired leader.
Promote
diversity and fair hiring practices. When recruiting potential leaders, it is
important to promote diversity and inclusion in the hiring process. This can
help ensure that the leadership team reflects the diversity of the
organization’s customers, employees, and stakeholders. It can also help
avoid biases and discrimination that may limit the talent pool or discourage
qualified candidates from applying.
Perform
background checks. When recruiting potential leaders, it is
important to perform background checks on the candidates to verify their
identity, credentials, and history. This can help ensure that the
candidates are trustworthy, reliable, and suitable for the leadership role.
Focus
on workplace satisfaction. When recruiting potential leaders from
within the organization, it is important to focus on creating a positive and
supportive work environment that fosters employee satisfaction and retention.
This can help motivate potential leaders to stay with the organization and
pursue leadership opportunities. It can also help showcase the
organization’s culture and values to external candidates who may be interested
in joining the leadership team.
3)
The third step to building a great leadership team is to
communicate the company vision and values. The company vision is the long-term
aspiration and direction of the organization, and the company values are the
principles and beliefs that guide the organization’s culture and behavior.
Communicating the company vision and values can help align the leadership team
with the organization’s purpose, goals, and expectations, and inspire them to
lead by example.
Some
of the ways to communicate the company vision and values are:
Hold
collective ‘sense-making’ discussions. As a company grows, its
corporate identity matures and changes. That means that the vision and values
may need to be revisited, refined, or reaffirmed over time. Holding
collective ‘sense-making’ discussions with the leadership team can help them
understand the rationale behind the vision and values, and how they relate to
the current and future state of the organization.
Live
your values through action. Business leaders communicate values through
action. Is service a core value? Then leaders should be seen serving others,
both internally and externally. Is innovation a core value? Then leaders should
be seen experimenting, learning, and supporting innovative ideas. By living your
values through action, you can demonstrate to the leadership team what you
expect from them, and how they can embody the values in their own leadership
style.
Tie
every role and process back to the vision and goals. The
best approach to communicating the vision and goals with the team is to include
them as part of everything within the company. By tying every role and process
back to the vision and goals, every employee will see how their role fits
within the vision and goals of the whole company. This can help create a
sense of ownership, accountability, and alignment among the leadership team.
Use
simple and consistent language. The best way to communicate the vision and
goals of the company with employees is to ensure that communication is clear,
consistent, and simple enough for every level of the workforce to comprehend.
Using jargon, acronyms, or vague terms can confuse or alienate employees who
may not understand what you are trying to convey. Using simple and
consistent language can help convey your message effectively and reinforce it
over time.
4)
The fourth step is building a leadership team that values diversity and inclusion is not only the right thing to do, but also a strategic
advantage for any organization. A diverse and inclusive leadership team can
foster innovation, creativity, and collaboration, as well as attract and retain
talent, customers, and partners. To build such a team, there are some steps
that can be taken, such as:
a) Documenting the team’s processes, norms, and code, and
seeking feedback on how to improve them for diversity and inclusion.
b) Emphasizing the gains of the team over the individual and
rewarding work that promotes diversity and inclusion.
c) Centering diversity and inclusion in the business strategy
and ensuring that the team’s goals and actions align with it.
d) Holding executive leaders accountable for diversity and
inclusion outcomes and providing them with the resources and support they need
to achieve them.
e) Hiring
diverse talent from divergent backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences, and
creating a culture of belonging and respect.
5)
The fifth step is to build a great leadership team is to
provide feedback and coaching to leaders. Feedback and coaching are essential
for leaders to improve their performance, develop their skills, and achieve
their goals. Feedback and coaching can also help leaders identify their
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges, and create action plans
to address them.
Some
of the ways to provide feedback and coaching to leaders are:
Use
specific and constructive feedback examples. When
providing feedback to leaders, it is important to use specific and constructive
examples that illustrate what they did well, what they need to improve, and how
they can do it. Using vague or general feedback can be ineffective or
confusing, as it may not provide clear guidance or direction. Using
specific and constructive feedback examples can help leaders understand what
you expect from them, and how they can meet or exceed those expectations1.
Encourage
your employees to give you critical feedback. As a
leader, you also need feedback from your employees to assess your own leadership
effectiveness, and how you can uniquely develop your strengths in those areas.
However, getting honest and critical feedback from your employees can be
challenging, as they may fear retaliation or negative consequences. To
encourage your employees to give you critical feedback, you need to create a
culture of trust and psychological safety, where employees feel comfortable sharing
their opinions and perspectives without fear of judgment or punishment. You
also need to ask open-ended questions, listen actively, and express
appreciation for their feedback.
Cultivate
a network of junior coaches. Another way to get feedback and coaching as
a leader is to cultivate a network of junior coaches within the organization.
Junior coaches are employees who are lower in the hierarchy than you, but who
have direct or indirect observations of your leadership behavior and impact.
Junior coaches can provide you with valuable insights, perspectives, and
suggestions that can help you improve your leadership style, skills, and
results. To cultivate a network of junior coaches, you need to identify
potential candidates who have relevant expertise, experience, or exposure to
your leadership domain. You also need to establish rapport, trust, and
mutual respect with them, and invite them to share their feedback and coaching
with you regularly.
6)
The sixth and final step to building a great leadership team is to
foster collaboration and teamwork among leaders. Collaboration and teamwork are
vital for leaders to leverage their collective strengths, skills, and
resources, and to achieve shared goals and outcomes. Collaboration and teamwork
can also help leaders create a positive and supportive work environment, where
they can learn from each other, support each other, and resolve conflicts
effectively.
Some
of the ways to foster collaboration and teamwork among leaders are:
Rewarding
collaboration. As organizations move to collaborative
cultures, leaders need to change the reward system to align with the desired
behavior. Rewarding collaboration means recognizing and rewarding not only
individual achievements, but also team achievements, joint efforts, and
cross-functional initiatives. Rewarding collaboration can help motivate
leaders to work together, share information, and contribute to the team’s
success.
Communicating
transparently. In any organization, the way information is handled can
either facilitate or hinder collaboration. Communicating transparently means
sharing relevant and timely information with the leadership team and
encouraging open and honest dialogue among them. Communicating
transparently can help build trust, clarity, and alignment among leaders, and
enable them to make informed and coordinated decisions.
Practicing
active listening. Active listening is a key skill for
effective collaboration and teamwork. Active listening means paying full
attention to what others are saying, showing interest and empathy, asking
clarifying questions, and summarizing or paraphrasing what you heard. Practicing
active listening can help leaders understand each other’s perspectives, needs,
and expectations, and avoid misunderstandings or conflicts.
Establishing
clear roles and responsibilities. One of the usual challenges that hinder
collaboration and teamwork among leaders is role ambiguity or overlap. Role
ambiguity or overlap occurs when leaders are unclear about their own or others’
roles and responsibilities within the team or the organization. This can lead
to confusion, duplication, or gaps in work processes, and undermine
accountability and performance. Establishing clear roles and responsibilities
means defining and communicating who does what, how, when, and why within the
team or the organization. Establishing clear roles and responsibilities
can help create a sense of order, direction, and ownership among leaders.
According to Comparably, a website that collects data on
workplace culture and compensation, these are some of the large companies with
the best leadership teams, based on employee ratings:
Google.
Google is a global technology company that offers various products and
services, such as search engines, cloud computing, online advertising, and
hardware. Google’s leadership team is led by CEO Sundar Pichai, who is known
for his humble and collaborative style, and his focus on innovation and
diversity.
Microsoft.
Microsoft is a global technology company that develops, manufactures, and sells
software, hardware, and online services, such as Windows, Office, Xbox, and
Azure. Microsoft’s leadership team is led by CEO Satya Nadella, who is credited
for transforming the company’s culture and performance, and his emphasis on
customer satisfaction and social responsibility.
Costco.
Costco is a global retail company that operates a chain of warehouse clubs that
offer a wide range of products and services, such as groceries, electronics,
furniture, and travel. Costco’s leadership team is led by CEO W. Craig Jelinek,
who is praised for his employee-centric and ethical approach, and his
commitment to quality and value.
These are some examples of great leadership teams from different industries and sectors.
Some of the common mistakes that companies make when
building a leadership team are:
Making uninformed or
emotional decisions. When selecting or promoting leaders,
companies should use objective and data-driven criteria, such as skills,
competencies, performance, and potential. Making uninformed or emotional
decisions, such as relying on gut feelings, personal preferences, or biases,
can lead to poor leadership quality, mismatched roles, and low team morale.
Not creating a collaborative
environment. The right leadership team makes or breaks an
organization. When building a leadership team, companies should create a
collaborative environment, where leaders can communicate effectively, share
information, support each other, and work towards common goals. Not
creating a collaborative environment can result in silos, conflicts, mistrust,
and inefficiency.
Not hiring diverse candidates. When
building a leadership team, companies should hire diverse candidates, who can
bring different perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds to the table. Hiring
diverse candidates can help enhance creativity, innovation, problem-solving,
and customer satisfaction. Not hiring diverse candidates can limit the
talent pool, reduce the competitive edge, and alienate the stakeholders.
Acting hypocritical.
Leaders are role models and should set an example for how they want their team
to behave. That includes a commitment to the organization’s vision, mission,
values, and culture. Acting hypocritical, such as saying one thing and
doing another, violating the rules or standards, or favoring certain employees
over others, can undermine the leader’s credibility, authority, and respect.
In
conclusion,
building a leadership team is a crucial process that requires careful planning,
selection, and development. A good leadership team should have a clear vision,
shared values, diverse skills, and strong collaboration. Leaders should also
strive to improve their own skills and empower their team members to achieve
the organizational goals. By following the steps and tips discussed in this
paper, one can create a leadership team that is effective, resilient, and
adaptable.
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