Sometimes leadership teams just don’t unify. Human interactions and behaviours are complex and challenging to navigate. Even the brightest and most skilled leaders can find themselves mired in a misaligned and directionless team at times. Charting a path out of the mist requires a high level of determination, effort and focus which can feel too much for a leader who is already overwhelmed.
Our leadership alignment program provides leaders with the strategies, tools and approaches they need to break the unproductive pattern they are stuck in. Whether they need to build confidence, improve their communication, move out of the day-to-day to lead more strategically, we pinpoint exactly what is holding them back and directly address it.
PHASE ONE: DIAGNOSE
When leaders and leadership teams are not performing, it can be challenging to uncover what’s really going on. Stakeholders may be concerned with the lack of performance or the high management overhead.
Our first step is to understand what the real issues are, and what are misperceptions.
In this phase we provide an assessment of:
- leadership styles and the behaviours of each member of the team; where these are helping and where they are hindering the team dynamic
- expectations of key stakeholders, customers (if appropriate) and the leaders themselves; where their expectations are aligned and where they diverge
- key challenges, frustrations and issues arising from within the leadership team, stakeholders and customers; are they consistent, is there a plan how to address these issues or are they being ignored
PHASE TWO: DESIGN
Using the data collected from phase one, a tailored solution is developed to actively align the leadership team and lift capability. This targeted approach addresses the specific challenges within each leadership team.
We collectively discuss and agree the approach and content for the program which includes a blend of services:
- Facilitated Alignment workshops – initially with the leaders to clearly define expectations, approaches, roles and responsibilities, processes
– alignment on team strategy, purpose, values and behaviours
– definition of the communication framework and reporting structure - Group coaching on challenges specific to the leadership group
- One-to-one coaching to support and develop each leader and their specific challenges
PHASE THREE: DELIVER
The Leadership Alignment Program will build a common foundation around their strategic plan, responsibilities and approach. With this stable platform, the leaders’ focus will shift away from what divides them onto their strength as a team.
The agreed outcomes will be documented in their team strategic plan. This is an essential agreement that helps bind the team around a common purpose and approach that defines ‘who we are as a team, and how we will get there’. The team strategic plan will be agreed for a defined duration (usually 1-2 years).
The scope of the strategic plan is designed in accordance with required business outcomes and generally includes:
- Team functional overview and required outcomes/targets
- Team purpose, vision, values and expected team behaviours
- Team structure, key leadership roles and responsibilities
- Key stakeholder, reporting and communication plans
- Decisions, issues, risks and escalation processes
- Organisational change management approach
PHASE FOUR: DRIVE
It’s one thing to decide collectively how to best deliver against the team’s targets. It’s another to maintain the focus and improvement whilst managing the day-to-day pressures that are ever present.
The Drive Phase provides the leadership team with a dedicated mentor for ongoing support as they embed the new ways of working and uncover new challenges along the way.
The drive phase is structured in consultation to meet the ongoing needs of the leaders and key stakeholders and may consist of:
- Periodic facilitated planning and alignment workshops
- Group coaching on challenges specific to the team’s needs
- One-to-one coaching to support each leader’s continual improvement