Have you been part of cultivating a culture where strong opinions are welcomed? Where teams are highly encouraged to up their level of frankness to have actual honest conversations in pursuit of a common goal? More and more business models are shifting from that 20th-century command approach to more of an integrative system - where top leaders are collaborating together and those once double yellow lines are repainted as white dashed ones.
So we ask you this - Who stands out to you as a great leader? Even a great team of leaders- those who made the most significant impact on your life, both through work and personally. A capable group of leadership is critical for company health, and we believe a majority of that success revolves around C Suite collaboration.
Putting great minds together creates more horsepower. If we work in silos, well, the results can be catastrophic. According to the Deloitte's 2018 Government Human Capital Trends report, The Rise of the Social Enterprise, A Government Perspective, only 21% of public sector leaders collaborate on projects or plan strategic initiatives together. If people could learn to collaborate, think of the achievements they could accomplish.
The only way to lead a team is to be on a team. Understanding the significance of collaboration among you and the other leaders in your organization can shift your company towards solving complex business issues — harmoniously and effectively.
How to Develop C Suite Collaboration
The Deloitte 2018 Global Human Capital Trends Survey identified ten themes that are creating concerns for global business leaders. The overwhelming winner was a lack of alignment and collaboration among the C Suite. More than 85% of survey respondents rated collaboration in the boardroom as the single, most important issue they face. But 73% agreed that their C Suite work in isolation from the rest of the business. That's a concern.
It's obvious what needs to happen. Senior leaders need to say goodbye to their silos and work together. The only way to navigate today's constantly changing business environment and address cross-disciplinary challenges is increasing C Suite collaboration.
Here are some ideas to help your executive team work better as one.
Find a Common Denominator Among Strengths
Many businesses are focusing their efforts on becoming more digitally minded. In our world, tech is king, so we know this is a considerable effort. If your organization is helping other companies increase efficiencies or meeting customer needs through tech, think of the strengths possessed by each C Suite member.
For example, the CMO and CIO of CarMax, a used car retailer, combined forced to design a digital experience that would allow their customers to choose vehicles using interactive online tools. It also created a better user experience. They knew that the pair could put their intellect at work as one to create a tool that would not only make their customers happier but would also increase revenue. Instead of working apart, they paired up to get the best result.
Be Open to Discussions and Debates
Not every executive is going to work well together, and that's okay. The goal is to find personalities that work well as a team and leverage those relationships to achieve a higher purpose. With that in mind, it is essential to open the floor for discussions and debates among the entire C Suite.
To achieve productive debates, you need to create a culture where strong opinions are welcome, and teams are encouraged to be open and honest. Heated discussions, with a focus on respect, can go a long way. The most crucial factor is ensuring everyone feels comfortable speaking up. Respect one another.
Get Your Priorities in Order
More than ever, team collaboration is essential because every aspect of our world is fast-paced. Employees and customers also have higher expectations because there is more competition than ever. This is why understanding collaboration is so important.
Now in regards to competition, the pressures may be greater than ever to keep innovating or release new products. Whatever your organization creates, you need to keep priorities in check. Even with the most significant level of collaboration, achieving everything at once isn't possible, nor is it effective.
If everything is equally urgent, and urgency outweighs importance, your team will overlook long-term strategic issues and opportunities. That's where the executive team comes into play. The CEO needs to delegate tasks to their team, and then, that team must delegate to their teams.
Be realistic about what you can accomplish and give those tasks a timeline. A strong focus on reality will help you stay productive and not lose sight of strategic goals.
Leverage Communication Tools
Whether its an app like Slack or a weekly check-in, it's critical to stay in touch. Collaboration is non-existent without communication. And communication can't happen when tools aren't specified.
You've heard of agile methodology, and maybe even use it in your organization. Take an agile approach to your C Suite collaboration. Break down the steps you need to take to achieve your goals and figure out how you're going to communicate with one another. Every team will find the best method. What's important is sticking to it.
We all know that the nature of work is being reinvented. As technology and automation advance, so will the leadership dynamic. There is no way around it, especially today. We can help you achieve your vision and even give you a roadmap to increase communication within your executive team. Get in touch with us today to find out how.
Here at BWBacon Group, we know and live what you are experiencing as an employer or job seeker in Denver, Boulder, Dallas, San Francisco, New York City or any of the other cities we work in. We believe great recruiting starts and ends with understanding people.
If you have any questions about living, working or playing any of the areas we serve, please contact us. We are happy to help. Seize the day, every day, that’s what we say!
