The exciting and complicated process of cabinet formation has now begun. When putting together a management team, you start with your own formation, but you do not have the luxury of having your own scout like Edith Schippers. As a leader, you will need to examine what personalities, skills and talents you need to forge a strong and effective management team. Your team will determine the growth and success of the company. To support you in forming your own ideal 'cabinet', we give you five important tips to pay attention to in this blog.
Compiling and 1. Self-reflection
As the leader of the management team, you will first have to take a good look in the mirror. What are my strengths, what are my weaknesses and what qualities, knowledge and experience am I missing that are necessary for the success of the team. If necessary, hire a consultancy firm, but first try to take a critical look at yourself. There are plenty of leaders who gather talents around themselves in order to lift their own performance to the highest level. In fact, a real leader knows what he can and cannot do. Self-knowledge is a very important quality of every leader.
2. Research the current team
Perhaps you are new to the organization or have been promoted internally. In both cases, as a leader, you will need to examine the functioning of the current management team. Determine the skills, potential for growth, and ambitions of each manager. Next, identify which skills you are still lacking and whether these are essential for your team's functioning in the future.
3. Create an organizational chart
Which manager does what and why. You can easily answer this question by drawing an organizational chart. This makes it clear what the responsibilities (can be) are for each manager, whether responsibilities do not overlap and whether certain responsibilities have not been assigned at all. Such an organizational chart also provides a lot of clarity for your team and makes setting up job profiles a lot easier.
4. Create a strategic plan
Without a strategy, you do not know which course your company wants to steer in the short and long term, nor which managers will be part of it. Therefore, write down the company's objectives —where you want to be in, for example, 1, 5, or 10 years—and determine what type of managers you need during a specific period to ensure your management team functions optimally. It may well become apparent that certain key positions are currently filled by individuals who do not possess the profile you have in mind. A good strategic plan thus makes it possible to make decisions regarding the composition of your team.
5. Internal promotion
After determining the management positions, you start looking for a suitable candidate. This search does not always have to be external; also look at talent within the organization. After all, employees who have been working within your organization for a considerable time know the culture and can develop into the best managers. Therefore, talk to other managers and investigate which employees have the potential to become one of your best managers within your team.
The customer as the starting point
Successful sales begin with a deep understanding of your customer. Not just what they want to buy, but why they want to buy it. What problem are they solving? What ambition drives them? By asking these questions, you shift from product-oriented to solution-oriented selling. And that is exactly what customers are waiting for: an advisor who thinks along with them, not someone who prints.
Therefore, invest time in your preparation. Research your client's industry, read their annual report, and check their website and social media. The better prepared you are, the more relevant your questions and the stronger your position in the conversation. Clients notice the difference between a salesperson who has done their homework and someone making a cold call with a standard pitch.
Kenneth Smit helps professionals get the best out of themselves. Our Next Generation Management training is practical, effective, and immediately applicable.
