As a member of a management team, you have several responsibilities and stakeholders to consider. This includes colleagues that report to you and your team members. Many managers struggle to understand which stakeholders and teams to prioritise: the management team or the direct team?
We believe the management team should always be prioritised and here are the reasons why: As a member of a team, you tend to prioritise those you work closest with. That is, your colleagues and peers in your respective working teams. The importance of management is often overshadowed by the other departments of the business. Despite the fact that the management team consists of primary decision-makers of the company. As a member of the management team, we believe you should refocus, prioritise and view it as your ‘number one team’.
The importance of the management team
The ‘number one team’ was coined by Patrick Lencioni, author of several books on business management and teamwork. According to Lencioni, it is based on management’s competence and ability to collaborate that lays the foundation for the success of a business. If the management team fails to find consensus on key issues, the entire organisation will suffer as a result. If the members of the ‘number one team’ are aligned, this leads to less conflict between employees within the organisation and thus increases productivity. So how can you ensure that the work of management is functioning properly?
Don’t be afraid to slow down
We are used to always going full force within an organisation. As a result, the management team only has time to focus on operational issues. This makes it difficult to create long-term consensus for the ‘number one team’. By pausing and reflecting on the current situation, for example by evaluating the work of management, powerful strategic decisions can be formulated, leading to greater consensus on the direction of the company. The act of slowing down is vital to accelerate in the long-run. By slowing down, management can gain momentum to go further, rather than faster. It also gives the members of the team an opportunity to connect with each other, which eventually improves general understanding, decision making and the overall work environment.
Break out time to evaluate the management team’s work
By pausing and reflecting on the current situation, for example by evaluating the work of management, you can gain a better understanding of what management needs to improve and what the team needs to prioritise. An evaluation can result in comprehensive understandings that will facilitate working with complexity. Hence, it also can pave way to easier deal with future issues. There are several ways to evaluate your work. It can either be in person during a workshop or an extra meeting. The work can also be evaluated through a survey or an evaluation tool, which can provide more data driven insights.
The important role of reflection and management team evaluation
Evaluating management provides benefits and allows the “number one team” to become a driver of your company’s success. A well-conducted evaluation also leads to better understanding of improvement areas. A management evaluation can analyse competences and capabilities, which in turn can lead to discussions regarding recruitment. By evaluating management’s performance, team members can focus on the right issues within their ‘number one team’. Then they can continue to build the foundation of the business for their respective teams.
So, if you want to avoid organisational silos and collaboration issues within your organisation, make sure to prioritise your management team first. If you would like to learn more about effective corporate governance, we regularly post articles on the subject on our blog.