The worst teams lead organisations.
And then they pay consultants and coaches to sort it out.
I've had several senior HR roles in my career and worked closely with a lot of executive teams. And in the main, I like them. There are loads of great execs out there - admittedly way too many of them are white men, but nice people nevertheless.
However, as TEAMS, they often fall way short. I have been known to describe exec teams as "groups of children with power".
I did wonder if it was just me. But no, in the HBR on Leadership podcast, researchers Thomas Keil (Univ. of Zurich) and Marianna Zangrillo (The Next Advisors) shared their findings from interviewing 100+ CEOs and senior execs over 10 years.
They describe three recurring patterns:
The Shark Tank - hyper-competitive and political
The Petting Zoo - conflict-avoidant and complacent
Mediocrity - lacking capability and looking backwards
I have experienced all of those. And I know it's the job. And frankly, it keeps me in work as an independent consultant and coach. But honestly, it's exhausting to work for.
I often felt used, a pawn in someone else's chess game, or worse - the one that they relied on to whinge to about the others.
I get it - they are all at the top of the tree in their own function, and that means being a team-mate is hard. But my question is: what team are you part of? And how do you think it feels to work for you?
The Shark Tank? Unsafe, exhausting, disempowering...
The Petting Zoo? Stagnant, low energy, frustrating...
Mediocrity? Directionless, demotivating, slow...
However, there are teams out there that are different. They work at it.
I'm coaching a senior exec in a large, global business. He's a great guy, and the coaching is additive, developmental - not performative. I've interviewed a range of leaders as part of the engagement to give him feedback - from the CEO to the chair of the board, the CFO to regional MDs. And what I noticed was this: all good people, all supportive, all constructive in their feedback, and all very keen to make the time to meet with me.
That's not always the case. Sometimes, getting in the diaries for meetings like that can be like pulling teeth. I'm just not a priority. Or worse - my client is not a priority for them.
Not at this company. I know the Chief People Officer really well, and she told me "it's not an accident". It took time. It took some tough decisions, and some hard conversations. But they built the trust, they focused on talent, and they operate as a team. And that has had a huge ripple effect across the hundreds of thousands of employees across the globe - engagement scores through the roof.
My point?
I've worked for some great execs in my time, but the shadow cast by the team they are part of is long. And some days, impossible to be near.
It doesn't have to be that way, as evidenced by my client. And that's why I love what I do - walking shoulder-to-shoulder with leaders and their teams to unstick them and create a new, better future. For them, and for all the people that work for them.
