How To Build A Leadership Team

If the leadership team or its members are dysfunctional, the entire organization will suffer, and I guarantee it. In this blog, I’ll share key considerations for building an effective leadership team and a method to help you assemble and manage one. Plus, there’s one essential action every leadership team must take to ensure the success of your organization. Let’s dive in!

Key Factor: The Role of the Founder

When consulting for companies across the country, I’ve often noticed that in many mid-sized companies, the founder or artist plays a crucial role. They shape the company’s culture, set the tone, and establish the style. While this isn’t as relevant for older, established corporations, it is vital for younger companies. When forming a leadership team, it’s important to honor the founder’s original vision and the culture they intended to create.

Two Key Roles: Visionary and Integrator

A successful leadership team needs both a visionary and an integrator. The visionary is the person who thinks outside the box, generates ideas, and pushes the company forward. On the other hand, the integrator runs day-to-day operations, bringing stability and structure. Without a visionary, your business won’t innovate, and without an integrator, you’ll lack the operational discipline to grow. Balance is key here.

Important Roles to Include

Beyond the visionary and integrator, your leadership team needs a Director of Marketing, Director of Operations, and Director of Finance and Legal. These are essential roles, and it’s critical to have the right people in these seats. As Jim Collins said, “The number one metric in any business is the percentage of the right people in key seats.”

How to Start Building Your Leadership Team

Once you understand the roles needed, how do you assemble the right people? Start with core values. These are not just trendy phrases, but guiding principles that should inform who you hire, fire, promote, and discipline. Your leadership team members must fit your company’s core values. Additionally, they must be cohesive and work well together.

Importance of Cohesion and Qualifications

Patrick Lencioni highlights the importance of cohesion in a leadership team. Leaders must see the leadership team as their primary responsibility, even over their department or business unit. They should have good chemistry with the rest of the team and, most importantly, they must be qualified. Leadership roles are not “learn as you earn” positions; your leaders need to have the expertise to guide the organization.

Leadership Teams for Projects

This model works not only for businesses but also for large-scale projects. Mega projects, in particular, benefit from leadership teams to oversee the various units involved. In Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) environments, leadership teams ensure smooth coordination.

Essential Traits for Leadership Success

A strong leader is one who elevates and builds people. Leadership is about service, not entitlement. Your leaders should be willing to give back to the company and the team. Evaluate candidates based on their ability to build teams, have tough conversations, coach, hold meetings, and maintain accountability. Additionally, using the “Ideal Team Player” framework (humble, hungry, and smart) helps ensure you have the right fit.

The 6 Types of Working Genius

To ensure your leadership team functions smoothly, you need a balance of these six working geniuses:

1. Wonder: Visionaries who ask “what if?” and bring creativity and innovation.
2. Invention: Problem solvers who create systems and processes.
3. Discernment: Individuals with sound judgment who can analyze and make wise decisions.
4. Galvanizing: Motivators who inspire and drive the team forward.
5. Enablement: Those who ease the work for others, making the organization more efficient.
6. Tenacity: People who see things through to completion, especially in challenging times.

Key Steps to Building a Leadership Team

Your success lies in assembling the right team members with complementary skills. Make sure to evaluate your team using frameworks like “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” and “The Six Types of Working Genius.” Having all six types of working geniuses on your team is critical to avoid inefficiencies and ensure smooth operations.