It was interesting getting your responses to our last ‘What’s New’ way back in July last year. Here’s a tiny selection of some of your replies(because lots of you said you liked the new ‘bite sized’ feel!)
This time round it isn’t exactly breaking news to say that we all seem to agree – it’s VERY tough out there.
We thought it might be useful to highlight some key trends that we’ve picked up on with our clients in toughing out the toughness! We’d be interested to hear if you agree…
Topical enough in the current political climate but this has always meant something else to us;
- Few organisations have escaped the need for major change over the past year so perhaps not surprisingly much of our recent work has focused on the question of how to ensure that change shaped by the Executive Board is embraced across the organisation.
- Introducing ‘guiding coalitions’ has been a successful route to achieving this, giving leaders and managers the opportunity to own and accelerate change like never before.
- This leading group is an important role model for VISIBLE change including being super vocal in driving through transformation.
- As important as the ‘formal elements’ are, change simply doesn’t happen if teams rely solely on ‘road maps’ – however accessible and visionary they are. It has to be championed by the people who are being asked to operate differently and this is where the guiding coalition really takes hold – appealing to and engaging teams from across all departments and functions
- Question and challenge who should drive the change and their capability/capacity and power to do so – avoiding ‘politically constructed’ teams
- Get groups to work as teams, however transitory they might be – helping them to behave with trust and to show emotional commitment towards each other
- - Uncover the real issues and underlying perceptions and to encourage teams to take up the ‘right dialogues’ and to support ‘honest conflict’
Through this work we have helped to develop and inspire high performing, cross functional teams with new and inclusive ways of working and in most cases uncovering hidden talent!*If you’re interested in hearing more – ask us about our latest work with the ASOS CEO and his Board.
This is a ‘biggie’ for us;
You could say that in line with our national culture, British brands often have a reputation for being insular and remote (harsh but true we reckon)
In order to make the most of the global market they need to better define themselves, promoting their values and products with increased confidence and self-belief
Working with some truly inspirational clients on global strategies, some key areas we’ve addressed include;
- Global vs. local processes; what stays central and what is territorial? What stays the same as the UK model, what becomes more localised?
- At the same time how do you maintain - one business, one agenda?
- With an Exec team pulled every which way, emotionally and physically – how does purpose of brand and strategy get communicated with consistency and a sense of reassurance?
- Issues of translating the brand and values globally
- Prioritisation; balancing UK with the international growth
- Getting the right structures/operating models in place It’s fascinating and stimulating as well as super critical for the success of the brands we’re engaged with on this!
This isn’t really new, but it’s interesting that more clients seem to be drawing on coaching as a support mechanism in addressing and coping with the tough environment. Some reasons why perhaps;
- Leading organisations continue to invest in coaching – various stats remind us that it has a high ROI
- It’s a powerful tool able to draw out skills, talents and thoughts often hidden and/or suppressed
- Coaches are able to offer focused and objective support tailored to particular needs
- Not for the meek, it’s for those who value honest and candid feedback
- Not just about ‘being coached’ but also about ‘being the coach’ – organisations that promote coaching cultures often achieve envious levels of employee engagement and possess impressive talent pipelines
- Executive
- Performance
- Transformational
- Team/Group
- Exit
- Coaching surgeries
- Coaching skills for leaders
To be honest many of you will know more about this than we do – just doing what we preach and being open and honest with you! It’s something we’ve just started getting excited about having been to a great conference that Ashridge invited us to attend;
Here’s a visual capturing some of the inspiration from Goran Carstedt:
If you fancy a chat about this please call Karyn.
here’s a quote we like, for obvious reasons if you look at the first line! But seriously, it encompasses each of the key themes we have identified as crucial in tackling challenges of 2011 and beyond;
‘By massive commitment to training and development… Everywhere we go, we get purpose out first, our CE, Kevin Roberts, is fantastic at referencing the purpose in pretty much every communication he has…It’s always rooted in “We are this kind of company, this is what we’re trying to do, here’s what we believe in and that’s why we’re making this decision”
Saatchi and Saatchi
If you want to hear about any more of our ideas or the work we’ve been doing recently in more detail please give us a call on 01603 507236 or drop me a line at jo.smallwood@maier.co.uk
PS – ‘Mad Men’ – THE series of 2010 as far we’re concerned.