Why don't we talk anymore?

A POV on the power of getting your leadership teams together

I’ve met with 3 clients in the past week who all shared the same sentiment.

“It’s the first time our senior leadership have got in a room together and really sat and considered where we want to get to with the business, and how we’ll get there”

The businesses varied in type. A global retail player, a media agency and a global lifestyle business. But the sentiment was the same: putting the time in to get everyone in a room and discuss the big questions, using the skill sets of different teams was the most productive time they could have spent, and was a clear shortcut for onward steps. 

Another contact described how he (as CEO) and his CSO have instilled a practice for pitches where nothing gets near a slide until the entire team have agreed on the overarching story in a simple word doc. Rather than teams wasting time independently coming up with strategies to answer a brief and trying to force fit multiple stories into one, they collaborate from the off.

These strategies both sound simple, and effective - so why do so many businesses fail to take these kinds of steps? Failing to get all the senior talent in one room to simply talk through the issues? Failing to agree on the overarching direction before delving into the details? 

We’re often asked where LookUP is most effective. Taking a step back before businesses embark on big programmes of action is a key moment where we step in.

Our transformation sessions address 5 major challenges that prevent strategic effectiveness: 

Don’t just look inside for answers

Senior expertise in a business can often translate to an assumption that we know our brand better than anyone does.

And yet, our brand is only one tiny facet in a consumer's life. Coming together to consider our world from their eyes is a crucial regular exercise. We spend considerable time bringing external POV, examples and eye opening ways of looking at the world to do just that. 

Don’t get emotionally attached to validation

Particularly in big organisations, our worth can feel like it is defined by our expertise. Which can result in keeping information to ourselves, or wanting to be seen as the department or leader that has the winning solution.

However, the consumer doesn’t see your departmental responsibilities, they see the entirety of how your brand or organisation shows up. If you’re not aligned behind the scenes, it becomes apparent quickly. We work with organisations to create cross-departmental ways of working to form new bonds and cut across departmental silos. 

Don’t be afraid of making mistakes

The workshop process sometimes surfaces questions that teams don’t have the answers to. The preparation process quickly brings this to life, and in some organisations there is a fear of pulling back the curtain.

This is exactly when transformation workshops add value, but only when they are framed in a way that makes it a safe space to admit what we don’t know, as much as what we do. Our sessions are focused as much on cultural collaboration as they are on output. 

Don’t get swept up in a culture of busy

Organisations have become focused on tools, and volume of outputs. Running as fast as we can, to do as much as we can, with every tool at our disposal. These moments of collaboration force us to work out what we stop doing as much as what we start. And this scares people!

Our approach of using live briefs ensures our methods sit in the real world, enabling us to frame the difficult conversations in reality, not theory. 

Don’t hide behind the day job

Everyone feels like they have too much on their plate, and sometimes the biggest challenge of running transformation workshops is simply getting everyone to take a day out of their diary to focus on something that isn’t the day job. If people can’t see (1) how the work will benefit that same day job or (2) look forward to the session, getting people to commit this time becomes impossible.

Our sessions are purposely challenging, impactful but most importantly, they are fun. A crucial trifecta to get your teams engaged enough to come back for more. 

If you want to talk more about how you get your teams to take a step back before they embark on big transformations in your business, get in touch with caroline@wearelookup.com  and matthew@wearelookup.com