How to – Create Teams at the Top A lack of alignment between members of the Executive Team is a recipe for disaster. Confidence on the part of customers, stockholders and employees is deeply rooted in the perception that the top tier of the organization can execute strategy efficiently and effectively.

An aligned senior team is one where the members act as caretakers and overseers of the organization as well as drivers of its success. They view their membership of the senior team as taking precedence over their functional responsibilities, and they are open and supportive of one another.

What does it look like when your top team is a high performing team?

• The incentive system rewards the team, not the individual.
• The members collaborate rather than compete.
• Top team members marshall all organizational resources to accomplish organizational goals.
• They develop a business strategy to deliver value which in turn creates financial results.
• The business strategy is clear, measurable and specifies the competitive advantage of the organization.
• The business strategy is clearly communicated to all employees.
• The team spends significant amounts of time together.
• Members have time to ask for help from each other, share learning and celebrate success.
• Non-team behavior is not tolerated.

An aligned Executive Team is the focal point of strategy execution. A CEO that can handle the bumps of effective team development will be rewarded with an effective team that is built at the same time that the work is getting done.  3:18 PM •  0 Comments •

How to – Raise the Bar for ALL Employees The old 80-20 Rule is alive and well in the way that most managers manage their employees. Many think that only 20% of their direct reports are of “go-to” caliber.

Even with the current economic downturn, a model popularized by Jack Welsh many years ago at GE (that 20% of the employees are in the top performance category, 70% are in the middle range, and 10% are at the bottom) is still a management philosophy that is widely implemented today.

This approach is holding organizations back from leveraging the full potential of their workforce. Since times have changed, it only makes good business sense to change your view about talent development. There are things you can do to change with the times and develop your workforce effectively in today’s business climate.

• Increase performance levels and raise the expectation level of everyone who works for you.

• Make assignments strategically, providing people with opportunities and the managerial support they need to accomplish them.

• Coach all of your employees more frequently.

• Encourage some risk taking.

• Reward those who demonstrate the success, skills and strategies you are looking for.

• Broaden the talent of everyone. Now is the time to invest in your people (and invest in their development).

• Connect development (training) directly to achievement.

When you help employees connect the dots from performance standards to increased expectations, from training to accomplishment, you are making a case that your organization’s leadership understands – ROI.

Admittedly, I’m a little biased. But not investing in training and development now makes perfect sense.  9:51 PM •  0 Comments •