Does your executive team boast high-performance characteristics?
What are its current strengths? And what are the remaining points for improvement?
Below is a brief description of five major Areas that an executive team must explore, work on relentlessly, regularly evaluate and continuously reinforce in order to make them true areas of excellence... and, failing that, the five typical Dysfunctions that the team may well fall into.
1) Ambition (the why ?)
- Clarifying its own purpose, its main areas of responsibility and the indicators that enable the team to monitor its collective performance is the essential starting point for any executive team and the foundation for all its future developments.
- Failing to do so, the executive team may well become Disoriented, lacking consistency in the choice and deployment of its plans over time.
Key question: is the executive team guided by a clear and inspiring ambition for itself?
2) Attitudes (the how?)
- Embodying the company's values and defining the specific behaviours expected within the team, both individually and collectively, subject to collective evaluation and regular updating, is a prerequisite for the executive team to be able to form a cohesive and lasting team.
- Failing to do so, the executive team may well stand Divided, notably lacking cohesion when faced with situations of internal or external tension.
Key question: has the executive team built for itself a cultural base that lives on a daily basis?
3) Activities (the what?)
- Working on most relevant priorities & issues directly related to its collective responsibilities and raison d'être, conducting effective meetings based on appropriate working methods, decision-making processes
and tools, and interacting frequently outside collective meetings in the context of joint projects are the signs of some real collective work for the executive team.
- Failing to do so, the executive team may swiftly become Dispersed, lacking effectiveness in the choice of its “must win battles” and efficiency in the way it approaches them.
Key question: is the executive team working on the right topics, using efficient working methods?
4) Aptitudes (the who?)
- Defining and recruiting the functional and transversal skills required for the team to function properly, using them wisely by playing on complementarities, and maintaining the collective potential and that of each of its members are the keys to building and developing the "ultimate executive team".
- Failing to do so, the executive team may well be partly Disabled, lacking some of the necessary resources to carry out its projects successfully.
Key question: are the skills and complementarities all present and well utilised within the executive team?
5) Perceived Actions (the what-who-when?)
- Showing clear and inspiring leadership, embodying the company's values on a daily basis, engaging and coaching teams on the right issues allows the executive team to set the pace, leading by example and setting the bar for the whole organisation.
- Failing to do so, the executive team may unconsciously become Disconnected from the rest of the organisation, lacking the day-to-day impact and traction to help it achieve its ambitions and goals.
Key question: is the executive team perceived on a daily basis as inspiring, exemplary, successful and close to the rest of the company?
So, where does your executive team stand? Is it closer to A or to D? Are you willing to evaluate it ? And are you ready to explore and work on those five major Areas in order to make them true areas of excellence for your executive team? Then contact us