10 signs that your senior team could work better together

Senior teams need to work together to deliver results – to make decisions, set direction and drive the business forwards.

But as with all teams, sometimes the ‘working together’ bit does not quite click and they could really do with some senior team development.

Here are the ten most common reasons that top teams get in touch with me for help:

The pace of change feels too slow The minutes from a year ago seem very similar to the present day’s – always a warning sign for a senior team. There will always be challenges to address, but they should change over time.

Some people don’t seem to be “on the bus” Some team members just don’t seem to get what the team needs to achieve. Or say they do… but then act in a different way.

The thought of going to the meeting makes your heart sink Meetings are frustrating, sometimes uncomfortable, never satisfying. And worst of all you are not sure what has changed since the last one.

Poor attendance Some people always seem to have a credible reason not to attend – an urgent key client meeting or some urgent problem to sort out with the auditors/regulators. This all indicates the low value subconsciously placed on the top team meeting.

Important topics remain undiscussed – the so called “elephants in the room”. Maybe these are talked about privately but they are never addressed openly.

Inconsistent outward communication The senior team agrees one thing, but it seems to be communicated to the rest of the organisation inconsistently or differently.

There is low trust between some members and people are taking things personally Politics and undercurrents abound, there’s a feeling that there are several agendas and signs that people feel personally undermined or attacked by others.

You have a hunch that you don’t have all the information There’s a lot of mind reading going on and assumptions being made rather than each team member really knowing, understanding and respecting their colleagues’ perspectives and opinions.

It’s too day-to-day There’s too much discussion on the How and Who and not enough on the What and Why. This suggests a poor balance between the tactical and the strategic.

There’s no discussion as to HOW you work together as a top team There is an assumption because you’re all senior people that it will just work.

It is perfectly normal for senior groups to sometimes get stuck like this – and it is easy to change. As with more junior teams, senior teams have to take time to examine how they are working together. Sometimes that can be done by the team members themselves: they can take a step back to clarify their goals and individual roles and how they can best work together. It helps if a team member has the relevant skills.

However, it’s often more workable and comfortable to get some external, independent help. The effects can be effective, rapid and cost-effective.

This is what I do. I have years of experience helping boards and top teams become more effective and deliver results.

If you’d like to develop your top team so they deliver amazing results and enjoy what they do, then call Simon on 020 3488 0464 or email simon@simonwalker.org