Developing High-Performing Leadership Groups by Implementing Strategic Executive Placement
Expert strategic positioning surpasses conventional PR, communication, or leadership coaching techniques. It integrates aspects of each, forming a distinct method aimed at fostering an influential presence for leadership teams. These teams should not only showcase their expertise but also personify the organization's vision and values.
When leadership teams are perceived as reliable, values-driven, and engaged, the whole organization experiences enhanced trust, loyalty, and marketplace competitiveness. Remarkably, "60% of potential candidates" globally investigate a CEO's social media accounts, while "80% of employees worldwide" regard their CEO's overall reputation as a crucial retention factor.
Elevating these teams' visibility and influence is an art I've refined through years of guiding prominent C-suite executives and their teams.
Here, I'll share a proven, step-by-step strategy to boost a leadership team's executive positioning, drawing examples from my experiences.
Step 1: Craft the Team's Distinctive Tale
Every leadership team harbors a unique narrative, typically a blend of vision, values, and achievements that sets them apart. The initial step is unearthing and crystallizing this narrative.
In my coaching experience with a global financial services company undergoing digital transformation, the exceptional executives had fragmented messaging. Together, we wove a shared narrative, positioning them as ethically-aligned AI innovators in finance. This narrative served as the foundation for their unified communications, fostering consistency and amplifying their collective impact.
Key Action: Organize a collaborative workshop to unearth the central story. Ask: What do we stand for? What mark do we wish to leave on the industry? What differentiates us as a team?
Step 2: Review and Optimize Personal Brands
Each leader embodies the company's overall brand. Their digital footprint, public speaking engagements, and media exposure should align with the broader team narrative.
A global retail client discovered that their CEO boasted high visibility but that other executives lacked a public profile. To address this imbalance, we tailored positioning strategies for each leader—promoting one as a prominent voice in sustainability, another as a trailblazer in supply chain innovation. Their coordinated presence reinforced the retailer's reputation as a pioneer in sustainable practices.
Key Action: Conduct a visibility assessment for every leader. Ensure that their messaging, digital presence, and public engagements resonate with the team narrative and complement one another.
Step 3: Establish a Collaborative Stakeholder Management Plan
Effective executive positioning hinges on cultivating meaningful relationships with crucial stakeholders, such as investors, board members, regulators, and community leaders. Leadership teams should proactively engage with these stakeholders collectively, allocating specific roles to each member.
I once supported a manufacturing client navigating regulatory challenges by constructing a stakeholder map highlighting key priorities: politics, partner relationships, and community engagement. The COO led supply chain collaboration, while the CEO focused on policymakers. This cooperative approach ensured a consistent, unified message that resonated with all stakeholders.
Key Action: Define vital stakeholders and establish shared goals. Designate team members as champions for each group and set up a regular cadence for ongoing engagement through meetings, events, or direct communication.
Step 4: Develop a Thought Leadership Agenda
Positioned leaders actively drive discussions essential to their industry. This entails publishing content, hosting events, and connecting with essential stakeholders.
At a World Economic Forum in Davos, I aided a tech client's leadership team in crafting a "Sustainability & Innovation" agenda. They organized a panel at our "Loft of Shared Dreams" event, highlighting their expertise in eco-friendly technology solutions. This boosted their status as green tech leaders and attracted influential partnerships.
Key Action: Identify topics vital to the team's expertise and the company's strategic objectives. Construct a 12-month content and engagement strategy consisting of articles, podcasts, and speaking opportunities.
Step 5: Synthesize Internal and External Messaging
A leadership team's external message will only resonate if backed by internal authenticity. Consistency is critical, ensuring employees comprehend and support the team's positioning.
For a healthcare client, I facilitated the launch of an "Every Employee as a Brand Ambassador" initiative. This program educated managers and frontline staff to communicate the organization's vision effectively, creating a legion of internal evangelists that amplified the leadership team's external messaging.
Key Action: Organize internal town halls, workshops, and communication campaigns to empower the organization to embrace and embody the leadership team's position.
Step 6: Utilize Strategic Partnerships and Media
To expand their reach, leadership teams should strategically collaborate with external stakeholders, including journalists, industry organizations, and key partners.
The biotech leadership team I advised partnered with patient advocacy groups and participated in key conferences to emphasize their commitment to patient-centric innovation. Their involvement resulted in increased exposure and recognition as leaders in patient-focused healthcare.
Key Action: Identify important media outlets, industry bodies, and partners. Devise a strategy to engage with them through thought leadership, joint initiatives, and public appearances.
Step 7: Monitor and Adjust
Executive positioning is a continuous endeavor. Regularly evaluate progress and make necessary adjustments.
For this client, we tracked metrics, such as LinkedIn engagement, media share of voice, and employee sentiment. When we noticed a downturn in engagement for sustainability topics, we shifted our focus to innovation in technology, which resonated more deeply with their audience.
Key Action: Establish KPIs to monitor the positioning strategy's impact. Schedule regular assessments to evaluate progress and refine the strategy.
Conclusion
Boosting your leadership's influential stature necessitates purpose, accord, and endless enhancement. Leadership assemblies achieve a superior degree of success when they're tactically arranged, enabling their combined voice to act as a potent weapon propelling the firm's mission, ethos, and ambition.
In high-powered leadership groupings, each head is recognized as both a seasoned specialist and an ardent crusader for the corporate objectives, cultivating trust and harmony among all interest holders.
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Marina Cvetkovic, a part of The Council of Website Guiders, brings her expertise in guiding prominent C-suite executives and their teams in elevating their visibility and influence.
In the coaching experience of Marina Cvetkovic with a global financial services company, she helped the executives craft a shared narrative, positioning them as ethically-aligned AI innovators in finance.
