One of the main objectives of our work in scaling companies is to help develop the client’s team. Specifically where we are involved in a pre sale role with a 24 month timetable it is essential that staff are developed into roles that the acquirer requires and admires. The acquirer isn’t buying us! We need to be redundant in many of our functional roles or we will have failed.
Here are a few tips we’ve learned along the way worth sharing:
▶️ Look for opportunities to give Project Management responsibility to your leading managers both senior and junior. Owning something is key to career development.
▶️ Help these managers develop frameworks for governance. In project terms ensure the following: objectives are clear, resources are identified, success criteria are identified, abort criteria are identified, milestones are set, steering groups are planned, launch timetable is agreed and post project launch adoption and monitoring are identified.
▶️ Teach staff why questions are key to solutions. Too often the questions are wrong. Define the problem you are solving for. It can be meetings, slide decks, press releases, new products. Define the problem.
▶️ Teach the importance of review time. A piece of work that took 12 hours to produce is ruined by the missing 30 min to check it. What looks wrong? If it’s interesting it’s probably wrong! Builds control totals everywhere if it’s numerical work. Read and reread if it’s a narrative.
▶️ Teach writing in plain English. When someone says to me, oh that’s what I meant. I say politely, no it’s not, what you were thinking is on the page. Look through the lens of the reader. Does this make sense?
▶️ Show staff how you review a piece of work including, is the conclusion or takeaway clear? Do the sections of the report hang together or are there inconsistencies?
▶️ In preparing for a speech or chairing a meeting, demonstrate the importance of big picture themes. For example, today in discussing the 10 months to October financial results I want to highlight 3 things. One, revenue is 25% ahead of last year, two, our Gross Margin is running 2% points ahead of last year and overall this has generated net income at $6.1m or 24% ahead of budget.
▶️ Teach preparation mindset. Before any meeting virtual or in person always prepare a bulleted list of talking points. It will keep the meeting productive and lead to insightful conclusions.
▶️ In any interaction emphasize the importance of letting the other side know they are being heard. I don’t care if it’s a disciplinary meeting, a feedback catch up, an discovery meeting. Whatever the purpose don’t deliver monologues. Deliver conversations.
▶️ Develop agenda setters for work. Everyone in a team should have a boss that sets or confirms the agenda. By all means collaborate but don’t let mystery creep into the work expected of your talent.
▶️ Acknowledge generational motivations. But everyone wants, autonomy, mastery and purpose to some degree.
Hope it helps.
