What if…your strategy consultant had your top team singing from the same sheet?
Here’s your leadership coach’s quick and easy way to discover whether your senior management team are singing in perfect harmony or marching to different drums.
This experienced business mentor calls it the Five Key Priorities approach:
- Take your three-year vision and, if you haven’t already done so, break it down into 12 quarterly targets/objectives.
- For the next quarter, list the Five Key Priorities which you believe should be your focus, if the three-year vision is to be brought closer to reality.
- Rank these factors in order of importance, so they’re ready to share with your top team.
When you’ve announced this quintet to these senior colleagues – asking them “are these the five matters I should be focusing on in the next 90 days?” – listen carefully to their responses.
After you’ve had this feedback, ask them to go off and complete their own Five Key Priorities for themselves and the business.
For this second assignment, be ready to:
- Coach your top executives about the key issues for them individually and the company.
- Tie their suggestions back to the quarterly and three-year goals you have for the organisation.
And remember, it’s not your intention to hold your top team responsible for these priorities…they should be self-accountable.
At the next meeting of your senior colleagues, have them collectively review each submission, avoiding passing judgement on anything others have said. And be prepared to be amazed, as, for the first time, everyone in your top team will:
- Know what’s important for them
- Understand the impact of their actions on other team member
- Avoid throwing obstacles in front of colleagues
The problem for many management teams is they lack a common cause and are running towards different goals or have no objectives at all. By focusing their minds on the priorities, you eliminate these problems.
For help with setting and implementing your own Five Key Priorities programme, email me at: richard.bosworth@whatifspecialist.com or follow me on Twitter: @richardwhatif
