You are the person and for ‘21 you are feeling very accountable: the path of the P&L is on your shoulders. If you are coming into the year with momentum, then congratulations…it’s easier to change the direction of an object that’s in motion.
Here’s the insight: that momentum is created along process paths. Those processes were designed pre-COVID, and chances are very good that they need to be flexed and updated to take you to a new destination.
Now the challenge.
During these times of virtual work, the new conference table is a tiled screen. For our all-hands team meetings, we’re bringing everyone to sit “together” in theater mode seating.
It’s hard work for a difference-maker right now.
Despite these challenges, I can also share with you that some firms are moving the ball. I spoke with a services CEO recently that has doubled his firm’s size since COVID (which means he has not met half of his new staff in person yet) and still hasn’t caught up with demand. I’ve also got clients who have made major moves to reposition their R&D teams and capabilities. Many are booking business at better rates going into 2021 than they were in 2019 – so it can be done.
What are the differences between those firms that are accomplishing fresh growth and those who are “waiting to get back?”
Well a lot of things, but for today I’m going to focus on those within your control.
5 Ways to Create a Stronger Cross-Functional Team
The vehicle for the most significant process change in firms is the cross-department or cross-functional team. Many of you just rolled your eyes thinking back to your last experience of interminable team sessions where the group wandered to rediscovering its mission and charter rather than taking action as you had hoped. You may have been on one cross-functional team where the “team” never actually formed. I’m thinking of those sessions where the functions send in obstructionist team members who are there to make sure their team does not get any action items.
The work at home isolation from COVID has not made any of this better. When we assemble a cross-functional group, we by definition are bringing people together who don’t have the same context to build a new solution. It’s in this diversity the group has power, and it also provides a challenge to establish an overarching goal to provide a platform for cooperation.
So how can we stack the deck in our favor?
There are several things you can do to increase agency and participation, even when it’s hard to do virtually.
Two items are table stakes. First, set aside all projects that don’t have a powerful set of “line of sight” benefits and results for both the firm and the client. This may sound basic, but you would be amazed at how many projects simply are not built in a container that draws the best attention of the firm. If it doesn’t have a clear return on investment, now is not the time to bring it forward. The second is to make sure that you have leaders that walk the talk in engagement and participation. There is nothing more difficult to overcome than a leader that does not inject energy into the process.
With those two big ones on the table, here are three more things that can make a difference in those projects that are critical to your firm and clients:
- Cocreate the Project Charter: A solo leader charting the course for the future – it’s an idea that is a holdover from the days where the best information floated to the top of the firm. These days the best information is at the point of contact with the client, and it’s the richness of that information that needs to be pulled into a project charter. My coaching is to not shortcut this step and spend some time here to socialize and test the charter before putting it in place. Be especially careful to pick up the exact vocabulary for results that are used by the client and their account manager.
- Make Wide the Narrow Path (allow unconventional paths): This is perhaps the second most common pitfall I see. You want to be super specific on the results (the what) you are looking for and completely agnostic as to how the team delivers the results. In these days where rich new ideas can come from anywhere, especially our less tenured team members, we must guard against prescribing the how.
- A Little for a Lot: The third item is to provide visibility and clear access to resources. You’d be amazed at what a production line team can do with a modest budget to try out a new way of doing things. I’ve seen entire product lines built on a $5k investment in a fortune size firm. The key is to set aside a budget and not make it hidden from the team.
It’s a challenging time to be a human, much less leading a firm. By using these tools, you’ll find that people will be drawn to solid projects where pride of ownership is the driving force. If you’d like to talk more about how these approaches could apply to your firm, please reach out to me directly at 847-651-1014 or put an appointment on the books with this link.
