As many of you know, I’m a big fan of “Harvard Business Review” and a recent issue was focused on how to win and keep great customers. What I wanna focus on in this session is really a dynamic work structure. If you listened to the previous session of this Leadership Insight, I talked about the seven sequence. In analyzing over 100 client engagements, identified seven unique practices that great leaders do to consistently separate themselves from their competitive peers.
Beyond a strategic focus, beyond a succinct strategy, and prioritized pursuits and the discipline not to get distracted, the very next step was this idea of your org. structure. When I say org. structure, most people just think about people we have within our organization. I wanna add dynamic org. structure to it. Specifically, in “Co-Create,” I started the idea by talking about what I call the Hollywood Town Model.
If you think about it a second, out in Hollywood, very few people actually work for the studio. The studio hires an executive producer who gets the manuscript, then hires a director and on-camera talent, off-camera talent, and they focus on a common mission, common vision of what we’re gonna do together over some period of time. They bring the best ingredients together to create that vision, to create the outcome they’re after.
Unfortunately, in enterprises, a lot of times that structure is landlocked. When I say dynamic, I want you to really think about this notion of unhireables. Who could you not hire or not be able to hire to contribute to that team? Think of outside thought leaders. Think of potential advisors. Think of customers. Think of partners you’re not doing business with but they still have a vested interest in your success.
I serve on an advisory board, a digital transformation advisory board, for two of my clients. There’s no compensation other than they try to help me reach some of my goals. It’s not a monetary exchange as much as, again, a vested interest in each other’s success. When you bring outsiders into your goals, into your aspirations, into the key priorities you’ve set out to achieve, they bring a different lens. They bring a different perspective. They bring fresh thinking because they’re not there every day and they can bring all these insights, all these experiences from other parts of their lives, other relationship ecosystems into what you’re trying to do.
You don’t have to have a formal one. It doesn’t have to be structured. It could certainly be an informal advisory board. But create a more dynamic org. structure to help you achieve your prioritized pursuits. My name is David Nour. I’m the author or “Relationship Economics,” “Return On Impact,” and most recently “Co-Create.” I hope you’ll continue to come back and benefit from these Leadership Insights.