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Executive Team Advantage - Stories

  
  Episode 1
   Frustrated, Sally walked away from the meeting with her direct reports. It was only supposed to be a short meeting to solve a particularly vexing problem, but it took far longer. The team was guarding their functional areas of responsibility rather than searching for an optimal company solution. Sally knew the team could solve the issue without her involvement, but she couldn’t take the impasse any longer.
   As Director of Operations of MidCo, Sally played the trump card to reach a decision, but she resented having to get involved. “I have good people on my leadership team. We pay them a generous salary to produce results and be professional. Why can’t they work better together?” she muttered as she walked back to her office.
   She wasn’t surprised to find Bill waiting for her. Bill was her most vocal team member and she knew he wanted to rehash what happened at the meeting.
    Sally had to cut him off. “Bill, I’m already a few hours behind schedule and I still have some important tasks I need to do for the CEO today. Let’s talk later, okay?”
    “Sure,” Bill said. “See you later today.”
    Sally sat down at her desk and took a deep breath. She printed out MidCo’s operations report and reviewed the numbers. They were good, but not great. She knew her team could produce much more, but just wasn’t quite hitting on all cylinders. She deferred, “I have to get this report out and answer several critical emails, and then I’ll think about it.”
    After she reviewed the report, she emailed it to the CEO. Answered more emails. Went to another meeting. Called some key clients. Checked voicemail. Returned calls. Answered questions. Stopped in the hall for side conversations. And so the day progressed without another thought given to the team’s work.
    Remembering her promise to Bill, Sally went to his office and knocked on his door.
    “Hi Bill. What’s on your mind? I’ve got a few minutes before I head home.”
    Bill got up from his desk and offered Sally a comfortable chair in his more informal meeting area.
    She usually enjoyed talking with Bill. He was bright, energetic and wasn’t afraid to speak his mind. Bill came from another mid-sized company and brought a wealth of knowledge and expertise.
    “Sally, thanks for stopping in…and this won’t take long,” Bill promised. “I really enjoy working with you and our team. I just think with all the talent we have, we can be so much better.”
    “I’ve been thinking the same thing, Bill. I just haven’t had the time to think through the issues and what to do about them.”
    “I know,” Bill sympathized. You’ve got a lot on your mind. But our success is directly linked to the success of our team. We need you to take the time to set the strategy and environment for our team to thrive, not just survive.”
    Bill continued, “Joe, my old boss at InkCo, went to a program called the Executive Team Advantage which really helped him create a solid foundation for our team’s work.
    Sally groaned. “Don’t ask me to go to another communications skills workshop!”
    “This is different,” Bill assured her. “Executive Team Advantage is a program specifically designed for the busy executive – like you. Joe used to come back with lots of practical ideas and, more importantly, clarity on how to improve our team’s work.
    “Wait a minute. Doesn’t the team go to the program with me?”
    “No,” answered Bill. “But we participated before each session with some kind of prework and then Joe would come back and debrief us. I would really look forward to those discussions. They were more strategic than our usual staff meetings.”
    “Sounds interesting,” Sally conceded. “Tell me more about it.”
    “Once a quarter, Joe met with a dozen or so fellow executives and talked about their best practices and plans to build a high performance executive team. Over a year’s time, the four workshops literally carved out the time necessary to invest in our team’s success. Each workshop had a pre-assessment, a bit of skill-building and best practices. From my point of view, the best part was the action plan. There were monthly, ongoing coaching calls that supported his efforts throughout the quarter. At the end of the year, we re-assessed our teamwork profile. We were all amazed at how much we improved our team scores in the specific areas Joe selected for improvement.”
    “Bill, this could be the perfect solution. You’re right. I need to carve out the time, and working with other executives is really appealing. But what’s this plan of action?”
    Bill explained, “The plan of action is a culmination of the entire day’s work. It consists of three things you agree to start doing, stop doing or change the way you do them. You would be amazed at the impact that just one day has on the team’s overall work. Especially since you know you’ll be seeing your peers each quarter!”
    On the way home, Sally starting thinking of the possibilities for improving her team’s work. Sally had never heard of anything quite like this program and was intrigued with the possibilities. After dinner, she logged on the Internet and checked out the website Bill gave her: www.executiveteamadvantage.com. The format was really unusual. The program includes coaching calls between workshops and other options for improved teamwork. The registration fee was quite reasonable as well.
    As Sally read the information, she realized her team would be successful if she deliberately created a fertile foundation and solid expectations for effective teamwork to thrive. Sally registered for the program starting September 14th at the Tower Club in Vienna, VA. You’re welcome to come join the program!

    Call 800.589.4733 or go to www.executiveteamadvantage.com for more information
  
 
Episode 2

    Sally was frustrated with the apparent lack of teamwork on her leadership team. When questioned, they didn’t really feel they had enough in common to “be a team,” although there were specific instances where she knew the lack of teamwork significantly affected company results.
    Based on Bill’s recommendation, Sally attended a program devoted to helping executives build high performance teams: Executive Team Advantage.
    The day following the first workshop, Bill wanted to hear all about Sally’s experience.
    “Bill, it was a breath of fresh air. I finally had chunk of time to think through the strengths and opportunities for improvement within our team.”
    Bill smiled, remembering that was exactly what Joe, his previous boss, had said about the program!
    “You remember that web survey we took in support of this workshop? Well, the results were very interesting. I wasn’t too surprised, but it clearly showed me what is working and what isn’t working so well. Using these results, I was able to identify our team’s strengths as well as opportunities for improvement.”
    “It was great to bounce ideas off of other folks and Kristin, the workshop facilitator had lots of best practices to share. What a relief to know that I am not alone! Now I have a few practical, easy-to-implement ideas to improve the team’s work.”
    Bill could tell Sally was re-energized by the workshop.
    “The workshop then zeroed in on ‘clarity of purpose.’ Kristin asked us to identify our leadership team’s mission or purpose. I’m interested in your opinion, Bill. What would you say our purpose is?”
    Bill thought for a moment and answered, “Well, we provide strategic, operational and institutional leadership for the organization.”
    Sally agreed. “Yeah, we all answered something like that too, but Kristin really challenged us for evidence and to be more specific. After all, what does that really mean?”
    Bill laughed. “Does sound kinda Dilbert-ish.”
    “We had a great conversation about teams at our level. There has to be a balance between a top leadership approach where functionals report to me and a team-based approach. I realized that I have been perpetuating the functional approach where there are times when teams would be a better fit.
    “I agree. We need to be able to shift into whichever mode is best for the task at hand. And we take our cues from you, Sally.”
    Sally nodded. “Kristin said, ‘If you want your team to be a team, you must design team interactions that allow team members to act functionally as well as collaboratively, depending on the situation at hand.’ It’s my job to create opportunities for the team to discuss and agree on the fundamental concepts that drive the team—as well as the organization.”
    “So how do you do that?” asked Bill.
    Sally hesitated. “I have lots of ideas from the workshop, and Kristin suggested that we focus on a ‘vital few.’ Before I share my ideas with you, I’d like to think through my priorities. I intend to share my findings and action plan with the team later today. I hope I can depend on you to help implement some of the ideas?”
    Bill smiled again. “Sure, Sally. Whatever I can do to help our team be even more successful! I’m looking forward to hearing your great ideas.”

    For more information about the Executive Team Advantage Program, call 800.589.4733 or go to www.executiveteamadvantage.com


  
 
Episode 3

A week later….

    Sally took a deep breath before she opened the door to the conference room. Most of her meetings with her direct reports were task-oriented status reports, briefings, and problem-solving sessions. This meeting was going to be a bit different. She had asked her direct reports to come prepared to discuss business fundamentals – just to make sure her executive team was all talking from the same sheet of music. From some of the exercises she did during the Executive Team Advantage Program, she knew the team was not as clear nor as focused as they could be.
     Furthermore, she wanted to pay attention to the interactions between her executives. The Program’s team assessment results confirmed her suspicions: her team was not particularly candid nor open with each other. Sally wanted to see if she could inspire some “robust dialogue” among her team. (continued on p. 2)
     Sally opened the door and greeted her team. “Thank you for investing the next hour in a bit of ‘wallowing’ as Jack Welch calls it. In an effort to make sure we are all focused and in alignment, let’s kick around some of the “business basics” that drive (or should drive) our business. My intent is to make sure we have a common language and understanding of what’s important and to gain a deeper understanding of our individual perspectives. How does that sound to you?”
     A few heads nodded in tacit agreement.
     “Let’s start with our purpose. Why we exist.” Sally recognized that her role would be to facilitate the conversation as well as participate, but she didn’t want to dominate the discussion either. She simply asked the group, “Any thoughts on that?”
     After a few moments of stunned silence, the CFO, Tom cleared his throat and said, “Isn’t it obvious? We’re here to make a profit. It’s that simple.”
     “Yes, but we also provide a valuable service to our customers. It’s more than just profitability,” Bill countered.
     After a few more comments, Sally summarized the discussion so far. “So profitability is important, as well as being value-added. Why else to do exist?”
     Layne grumbled, “So I can send my kids to college.” The others chuckled knowing that Layne has two kids in college and two more in high school.
     “Okay, so we are also about providing a respectable quality of life for our employees? Is that what you mean, Layne?” Sally asked.
     Layne perked up. “Well, yes, I guess it is. But it’s more than that. I spend more time here than I do at home…and I want to be in a place that values its employees.”
     Sally cringed at his comment. Did that mean he thinks MidCo doesn’t value its employees? Rather than confront, Sally opted to reflect Layne’s observation to the rest of the group. “What do the rest of you think about what Layne just said?’
     Bill said, “I agree with Layne. We provide more than just a paycheck. We provide meaningful, challenging work. Most of us come in each day looking to do great work. I think our purpose is also to provide an avenue where people can use their strengths and talents...and make a profit as well!”
     The discussion continued until Sally confirmed agreement on the main reasons why MidCo exists: Profitability, Customer Value, Leveraged Talent and Growth. Sally then asked her team, “So, was this a helpful discussion?”
     Bill responded, “I think so Sally. It was great to hear from each of us – including you – on what we thought was important. Articulated as a group, they make perfect sense and that’s really where we should be focusing our efforts as the leadership team. We tend to get distracted with the day-to-day details of this business.”
     Layne chimed in. “I also appreciate the frank discussion. Because we allocated an hour and didn’t have to rush off to the next meeting, we were really able to express our opinions…without being sidetracked or rushed.”