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Senior Leadership extensions
Senior leadership, as opposed to senior management, consists of the well considered
setting and periodic review of the company's prime directions (strategic intent, vision,
mission, charter, milestones, overarching objectives, measurements of success, etc.),
and the optimal response to major external challenges/opportunities. As such it has a
pro-active (elective) and a re-active (corrective) dimension. This set of activities
arguably is the most essential element of top management's responsibilities and a
critical factor for the company's very viability and continuity. Its quality is crucial to
stakeholder value
Decision finding and results in this area cannot be delegated in any way, as this would
negate the justification of the company's chain of control itself. In contrast to all other
topics to be discussed later, I therefore don't see an executive role for my practice in
this space. I do feel, however, that I can have substantial added value in this context.
Unfortunately, but understandably, this domain often does not get the owners' focus it
deserves. Its impact usually is mid- to long-term and daily operational matters tend to
intervene. Furthermore, whether provided by one individual or a small top level team,
the process is often perceived as error prone and uncomfortably lonely. The usual
feedback loops in many cases are not accessible, as there are likely conflicts of interest
with the layers of operational management and the workforce as a whole. Premature
information sharing could thus very well lead to organisational disruption and
competitive disadvantage.
To alleviate some of these difficulties and substantially improve the quality of the
outcome, my practice offers bespoke support to the senior leader and/or his team, fully
adapted and limited to his/their requirements, preferences and wishes. It cannot readily
be categorised or enumerated, but covers such elements as process and programme
management, fact finding, brainstorming, record keeping, consistency checking,
documentation and review. My "role" often is that of a sounding board, sparring
partner, or even "devil's advocate" to the decider, thus allowing him to test and clarify
his ideas, sharpen his conclusions, and hone his presentation, replacing the missing
company internal feedback loops. Even where recourse to such resources would be
conceivable, a further advantage of using my support is the absence of bias, as the
resulting decisions in no way impact my own career or professional expectations.
Please take a moment to look at the following non exhaustive list of topics you might
want to consider for my involvement. But bear in mind that the actual scope of
engagement is open and only dependent on your wishes, preferences and limitations:
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Process and Programme Management
Senior leadership endeavours, addressing the company's very positioning, strategic
intent, long term future, and response to major challenges, usually are complex and
time consuming. They carry a non trivial risk of being sidetracked , relegated to the
back-burner, or short changed.
To avoid such pitfalls, the exercise needs to focus on a well defined
programme plan,
and adhere to a rigorous process. Both, of course, are dynamic, and may very well
change over time, either due to their very findings to date, or to new external factors,
but not accidentally or to satisfy considerations of convenience.
Whereas process and programme management are essential, they often are outside the
focus, or indeed, the affordable deployment of the senior leader's time and attention.
Delegation to my practice solves this dilemma and ensures the required follow-through
and consistency.
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Research
Strategies, intent and the response to key challenges/opportunities build on the senior
leader's knowledge base, but also on his inherent or acquired
insight. In other words,
they are based on an optimal cooperation of
both brain hemispheres.
Much of the relevant knowledge is carried by the leader as a result of his existing skills,
capabilities, experience and expertise. But, dependent on the level of familiarity,
additional information is beneficial or essential. The gathering of such material is time
consuming and typically conflicts with the priorities and pressures induced by the
leader's workload.
Areas of focus may include
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Market research
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Marketing research
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Competitive analysis
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Applicable legislation and regulation
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Technology trends
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Political,social and cultural environment
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Business cycle assessment
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etc.
My practice is well equipped to provide much or all of this effort using a wide range of
enabling techniques, e.g.
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data mining (within the company)
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interviews (with internal and external experts)
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Internet and literature search
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reference database screening
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recourse to professional or industry associations, institutes of international
cooperation and analysis, conferences, seminars, (inter)government bodies, etc.
In the end optimal packaging needs to ensure the easiest possible assimilation by the
decider(s) without introduction of bias or reduction of relevance and completeness by
the very aggregation process.
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Brainstorming, Sounding Board
Fundamental, long-term strategies, plans and responses do not simply "materialise". In
fact, whenever that seems to happen, there is a high probability of bias, introspection
("navel gazing"), and hence, a risk of mediocrity.
On the contrary, results usually solidify gradually, over time, based on an iterative
process of unconstrained refinement, also known as "brainstorming". Of course, the key
contributor to this process is the decider or the team of deciders. But almost as
important are content experts, who can test and critique ideas in the process of their
development.
Opportunities in this direction tend to be missing or scarce as the exercise is and/or
needs to be screened from the company population. Where such is the case, my
practice is prepared and well versed to fill the gap, providing a sounding board and/or a
sparring partner, even to the extent of playing the role of "the devil's advocate".
An added advantage over company internal resources is the X-company expertise built
and acquired over time and in multiple engagements.
Apart from content, my contribution may include facilitation. I have found one specific
approach, the capture on mind maps, a very productive tool in that respect, but will of
course utilise other recording and reporting vehicles, should they have the client's
preference. To accommodate my particular Working "style"the above is often
accomplished through a combination of audio conferencing and collaborative screen
sharing
Essential is the conscious, iterative cycle of unconstrained concept generation,
recording, analysis, hypothesis testing, formalisation, reporting and concentric
refinement, guided by a clear and dependable assessment of goal achievement.
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Recording, reporting
During the brainstorming phase, but also in all subsequent stages of senior leadership
projects reliable status recording and formal reporting to the decision owners are
critical success factors. This task set, again, often conflicts with the priorities and
inclinations of the key players.
At the client's request I am well positioned and suitably equipped to fill this need.
Once the decision process is completed, the final report usually is a major input to the
formal documentation.
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Documentation, communication
Once decisions have been reached, they need to be implemented. Major prerequisites
are clear, rigorous, complete and easily accessible documentation, an effective and
well known dissemination plan and vehicle, and, where necessary the execution of a
formal induction and implementation programme.
In multinational or multilingual enterprises all of the above need to cater for the
language, regulatory and cultural diversity as appropriate.
Whereas a kick-off by senior leadership itself is at the least extremely effective, for the
more controversial decisions and plans even essential, formal documentation and
localisation (Dutch - English - French - German) have become areas of expertise for my
practice. Recourse to my services may substantially increase productivity and
effectiveness of the company internal management chain, boost quality, and ensure
appropriate inclusion in the standards, directives, policies and procedures framework
(thus building the link with Operations and Quality Management).
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Maintenance
Both the company and its environment are subject to dynamic change, spawning the
need for senior leadership revisions, adaptations and new departures. In most cases
they are triggered by the leader(s) themselves, based on newly acquired knowledge and
insights, and/or in response to emerging challenges and opportunities.
But business reviews and operational exception reporting may also induce such action.
Especially in the latter context my practice can provide the necessary transparency and
feedback loops, ensuring that all important elements gain appropriate visibility without
bogging leadership down, or unduly deflecting it from its other priorities.
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1. About
