“I know what needs to be done. We’re well positioned, nimble, and have the capital and scale to win out. What holds us back?”
It’s a common frustration we hear often from CEOs.
What’s missing?
In our executive search practice, we found that the “precision” of priorities and “quality” of communication are essential differentiators in today’s world of instantaneous information. In a global economy, flexibility is prized, requiring effective communication with precision, speed, clarity, and frequency… all ingredients of successful outcomes.
Yet, we have observed that very few leaders communicate well. The main focus will always be strategy until something, or someone, fails. And when that happens, the post-mortem generally concludes that communication was the key culprit, i.e., someone didn’t get the memo!
So we decided to learn from leaders who are highly regarded communicators, and asked two questions:
*How do you characterize/describe communication with and among your top team?
*Given that leadership teams are by definition small groups, how do you evaluate the suitability of the individuals you are considering for promotion, or when recruiting for critical roles?
To win out, the best leaders encourage an exchange of views with clarity, conviction, and respect, while placing corporate power politics aside. Simply, it’s about substance, not style. We discovered that a buy-in based on a common set of values and beliefs about “the way things work” is essential.
The glue is a “no other agenda” communication approach.
So, on the first question, we conclude that to maximize the value of teams requires a common set of commitments, as well as common communication style…the way we express the daily journey… to assure that the team stays in sync and on track.
One CEO called it “a memo of understanding of ‘how’ we achieve results and communicate in the process.”
Regarding Promotion and Recruiting, the job description highlighting qualifications is a starter, but not nearly sufficient. In fact, hiring or promoting on it alone is perilous, as “looking good on paper” rarely reflects whether a candidate will succeed in the role. The success of a candidate, once in the role, will be determined by how well they address and work through difficult and unforeseen challenges. Even adding intuition about fit for a “C” level role is not enough.
Referencing, including reaching out to those not provided by a candidate, can assist, but hasn’t proven a reliable predictor of future success, as those references hardly ever know the culture of the hiring company.
And when a hired candidate disappoints it’s usually because of value differential, which results in a failure to culturally integrate, build trust, and communicate effectively within the leadership ranks.
We recognize that all leadership teams are composed of individuals who are asked to contribute their skills and experience to innovate and seek solutions to the most problematic of value-creating challenges. What struck us among the best companies was that great communication is the “how” those leaders work among themselves, and prioritized accordingly.
The Koblentz Group is an executive search firm specializing in recruiting leadership and corporate directors for companies in the multiunit consumer and business service sectors. Over the past 30 years, its Partners have successfully conducted several hundred “C” level recruitments for emerging companies to the Global 100. The firm works worldwide.eprint by Joel Koblentz of the Koblentz Group
