A common question I come across when working with CEOs and Managing Directors is how they can achieve a management team that is up to the the strategic and operational needs of the company. Unfortunately, many top leaders of organizations feel some level of isolation when it comes to their management team and how coherently they are are able to work together.
The management team is a concept now entrenched in northern European and North American corporate culture. In southern Europe and Latin American countries however, the idea of a cohesive team is not yet widespread. The predominant management style in Latin countries is several years behind their northern neighbours. It is more personalistic and less democratic and often does not favour the nurturing of management talent.
Yet, the aspiration of almost all organization leaders, regardless of where they are in the world, is usually the same. It is to have a management team that shares the strategic vision of the company and implements it, that works as a team instead of squabbling and finger-pointing, that takes responsibility for its results and that follows up the evolution of its key performance indicators.
To achieve a management team that really works together, the organisation first needs to stop and take a long look at the team’s current situation. The evaluation must be of both the individuals and the team itself, not only to identify weaknesses and problems, but above all to build awareness of the team’s new role in the organization and the implications for all its members.
To transform a management team into a high-performance one should not take more than three months of intense work for everyone. But once done the benefits remain for a long time.
There is never a convenient time to embark on a programme of this type as everyone is always busy with other priorities. Yet it is always the right time, because no company can afford not to prioritise the core of its company. A high performance management team brings profitability, effectiveness and efficiency to the organization.