Leadership consultancy<\/u> is an essential part of creating and supporting a growing and thriving business. So how can you know whether your organisation is at the right point in its evolution to warrant the investment of time and energy required? And if the time does indeed feel right, then who should you involve to give you the greatest chance of success?<\/p>\n
\u2192 Support to help navigate change<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Organisations do not exist in a silo. There is rarely a time when things stand still. More often they are trying to keep up with a dizzying level of change, whether due to external forces or internal ones: a new CEO with big ideas, a change of plan to respond to emerging market forces or embracing a new technology to automate business processes.<\/p>\n It\u2019s these changes that might result in a need for a new approach, a new strategy and a change of behaviour and direction.<\/p>\n \u2192 Advice for evolving businesses<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Growing organisations go through stages of evolution that fundamentally change the way they operate. The strategy and business processes that have seen you through a stage of consolidation and steady growth will be quite different to what is required to help you ramp up quickly and sustain rapid expansion. But as that growth period begins and you\u2019re battling the day to day, it may be difficult to take a step back until it seems too late. Fire-fighting becomes the norm, with little time to work out how to get back on an even keel.<\/p>\n Likewise entering into a merger or acquisition will undoubtedly throw a curveball at your carefully curated culture. Forcing the blending of different behaviours and attitudes that may or may not work harmoniously alongside one another. Add multiple regions or an international expansion into the mix too and suddenly getting the two finance departments to talk to each other may become the least of your worries.<\/p>\n \u2192 Guidance when things just don\u2019t feel right<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Good people started to leave. Then it was tough to replace them with new talent. There\u2019s a niggling sense of misalignment and a feeling that the \u2018sparkle\u2019 has gone. But no one is sure exactly what\u2019s wrong, what needs to change or where to even begin.<\/p>\n Leadership consultancy won\u2019t offer a quick fix or magic solution. But an external pair of eyes can often see more easily what questions need to be asked to make what is implicit inside an organisation explicit.<\/p>\n \u2192 Involving the right people from within your business\u2026<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n They say the best ideas emerge when different perspectives meet. That\u2019s why building a multi-disciplinary team can often lead to the best outcome for your leadership consultancy project.<\/p>\n Create an internal task force that includes comms, HR and senior management. Consider including a cross functional cohort from those working on the ground. Make it a solely HR endeavour and it almost certainly won\u2019t work. Instead select stakeholders from across the organisation who can offer insight into the current attitudes towards leadership and culture and diverse opinions about what\u2019s needed to make things better.<\/p>\n \u2192 \u2026and complementing them with the right agencies from outside<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n And while internal teams provide the background and insight, external players can use their experience to help the organisation meet its future goals.<\/p>\n Strive to include organisational design consultants, experienced facilitators, leadership consultants, coaches and comms agencies to help your messaging land. They\u2019ll act as neutral observers, devil\u2019s advocates and cheerleaders. They\u2019ll offer analysis, guidance and advice based on both theory and experience.<\/p>\n Of course, the ideal is to choose a consultancy like TPC Leadership that has strengths in management, organisational design and the training side too. That way they won\u2019t only conduct analysis and create the model, they\u2019ll help you put a training strategy in place to successfully embed the solutions inside your organisational cultures and behaviours.<\/p>\n \u2192 Take advantage of new technologies<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Traditionally, leadership consulting has been delivered through workshops and face-to-face meetings. But even before COVID-19 it was not a requirement. With new systems and technologies such as social engagement platforms, what used to require hours of expensive face to face meetings, focus groups and away days can be delivered online. No doubt, this will prove useful for all of us as we begin to explore new ways of remote working as we come to terms with the restrictions caused by coronavirus.<\/p>\n When it comes to assessing employee mood and opinion, we have found that an anonymous online survey tends to provoke honest responses that give us a better idea of what\u2019s really going on inside the organisation. Employees are more likely to be open in a virtual space than in a group workshop or face-to-face interview.<\/p>\n If you\u2019d like to find out about what it\u2019s like to work with our experienced multidisciplinary team, please contact us.<\/p>\n Co-written by: Andrea Cardillo<\/strong><\/em>, Managing Partner TPCL Italy https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/andreacardillo\/ <\/a><\/p>\n