How Effective Is Your Leadership Team?
Digitalization, demographic shifts, and the global pandemic have reshaped the business world, forcing organizations to enforce change in many areas, including business models, products and services, the customer experience, and working more efficiently and effectively.
In this new and evolving landscape, definitions of "good" leadership are continually being rewritten, and roles are often rethought. It is no longer about metrics but about how leaders behave, build teams, and develop talent and who they are, not just the numbers they produce.
There is no doubt that a well-structured and effective leadership team is pivotal for driving innovation, sustainable success, and overall expansion. The team will share the responsibility of obtaining business goals in a shared way and be the hub for decision-making, strategy formulation, and interdepartmental collaboration for the road ahead.
What makes a leadership team effective?
Right Members: The effectiveness of a team lies with the members; therefore, selecting the right individuals for your team is crucial and requires careful consideration.
Focusing on three particularly essential criteria, Competence, Mindset, and Character, is imperative.
Competence: is non-negotiable, and must exhibit very high proficiency in their domain, with their expertise should instill confidence among peers and subordinates alike.
A Growth Mindset is equally crucial as team members must commit to continuous learning and self-improvement, striving to enhance their and the team's performance.
Character is not a science but a question of lived values that demands a nuanced conversation clarifying each member's values.
Putting together an effective team can be challenging; however, we need to look at it like a puzzle where each piece complements the other in forming the big picture. Unanimity should not be the focus but rather a team offering diverse viewpoints, constructive challenges, and seamless collaboration.
An effective team should be able to navigate with a compass when there is no map, with the ability to make decisions today knowing that there may be new information tomorrow, which means a reversal of a decision. The team must show courage to follow further details and be ready to pivot.
In conclusion, team effectiveness means that colleagues must invest time and energy to build trusting relationships. There is no single abstract set of "right" values. Still, team members' values are weighted against the organization's strategic and operating realities, which should match the macro environment, culture, and context for the road ahead.
