I've had an interesting experience the last few weeks dealing with organizational leadership. The theme has been this: I am approached by an organization looking to have some sort of a group meeting or facilitation involving members of upper management. That is when people begin speaking to me in capital letters.
"Cheri, we'd like someone to facilitate our SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM" they say. Or they say this: "The group will include members from our EXECUTIVE TEAM. Do you have experience facilitating members of an EXECUTIVE TEAM?" After these sentences there is often a dramatic pause - as if they are waiting for me to express shock and awe or perhaps even humility at being chosen for such an honored task. I'm honored to work with all of my clients of course - but it doesn't have much to do with titles.
When people speak in capital letters it always interests me. The first thing I notice is that clearly they are setting this group "SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM" apart as a special group. The second thing I notice is that they feel that these people require special handling as part of who they are. As I sense waves of intimidation roll off of my clients, I begin to feel like I am being prepared to enter a room containing a public health hazard - like Ebola.
Are special skills needed to facilitate senior leaders? You could make a case for saying yes. Senior leaders are known for having strong individual personalities and agendas - so this is a consideration. Senior leaders may resist facilitation - wanting to run the meeting without external interference - so this is a consideration too. Senior leaders may, in situations where they are in mixed company, intimidate the snot out of other participants, so this is a factor. But these forces can be present in any group interaction, regardless of the seniority of the participants. So the environment is not as unique as it may appear.
Yes, I've done group work with senior leadership teams. And you know what I've noticed? They are human beings like anyone else. They have strengths and flaws just like you and I do. And they don't require a great deal of special handling - although they have a propensity to believe they need it. They want a facilitator who has "worked with people at my level", but as much as I hate to burst a bubble (actually, I don't) a group facilitation with a group of executives uses pretty much the same skills as a group facilitation with a room full of truck drivers. People are people. Group dynamics, while far from universal, tend to follow a certain number of patterns. Executives may have a certain slant to their group dynamics, but what group doesn't?
Always curious, I asked a contact of mine at one of these companies what was so intimidating or special about meeting with senior leaders. This is the answer I got. (I'm paraphrasing)
"We know that these leaders are incredibly good at what they do, and that they are quick to make judgments. The fear is that if we go and contribute - and we make an ass of ourselves - that due to their influence and power these leaders may limit our success at the company. And because they are so impressive, we know that the chance of us looking unintelligent is higher than it normally would be. So that is why it is intimidating."
So this makes sense from an insiders perspective. But what should a third party facilitator be thinking about?
My observation is that paradoxically, a challenge in facilitating leadership teams is often the lack of group leadership in the teams coupled with a lack of collaboration skills. Think about it - in any other group there is usually going to be a leader-given directive about what the team is to accomplish, and in the case the team stagnates there is going to be a leader who is going to make the final call. So non-executive teams have the authority above them to rely on to force group progress. To put it simply, a King may tell his court what to do, but when you get a room full of Kings, who has the authority to direct the group? CEOs sometimes fill this gap but most CEOs rightly spurn directing, preferring instead to have executives bring solutions forward.
Team leadership and collaboration issues are not unique in the facilitation world. Plenty of groups face these challenges. You can begin to address them by allowing time for some teambuilding as part of the facilitation, as well as having some highly directed conversations about "how this team will make decisions" before you dive into the material.
So do Executives require "Special" facilitation? I think the answer is no. Good facilitation starts with a design (facilitation plan) aimed towards supporting the group towards it's goals, a strong base of facilitation skills, and with a commitment to treat all participants with equal respect. I don't know about you, Enlightened Managers, but when I walk into the room intimidated by someone it's harder to focus on what matters....
Like being a good Facilitator for example?
Let's give our senior leaders the respect of treating them like regular human beings. Dancing around them like they are made of glass serves nothing but the false gods of ego and fear, and we can do better. I know it is easier to say this as an outsider looking in - but I think it's a goal worth striving for.
To our North American Readers - Happy Thanksgiving.
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