I was recently asked about how to better engage executives during transformation and design projects that are already underway. Especially when the organization is moving to more agile and decentralized decision making.
If you’re also looking to improve engagement, one of the first questions to ask is, what does “engagement” mean to you?
Who do you want to engage? Why do you need that engagement? How do you know that you have enough engagement?
The types of engagement
Sometimes people want more executive “engagement” because they’re looking for acknowledgment. Something as simple as an executive showing interest, respect, and gratitude for the team. They’re looking for emotional engagement.
Other times, the executive’s motivations or vision aren’t clear to the teams. If they knew what executives were working toward, they could help build it. But without that information, they’re working off of what they have. They need the executive to be more transparent and engage intellectually.
There are also times when there’s work to be done that’s clearly in the realm of the executive’s job description. Like removing blockers, having key conversations, or obtaining resources. Engaging, in this case, means the executive needs to take physical action and use some of his or her resources to further the cause.
The team might be looking for just one of these types of engagement. Or a combination of all three.
Why executives don’t engage
Now that we’ve unpacked what we mean by engagement, the actions seem simple enough. So why don’t executives engage enough?
Sometimes when organizations decentralize and managers are encouraged to be more hands off, they go too far to the other end of the spectrum. They stay out of team meetings altogether because they think they should.
They might feel like their presence will influence the teams too much. Or that they won’t have much to add to the discussion. Or that they’ll have too many ideas and have trouble staying out of the weeds.
In that case, clarifying what you need from executives and why can resolve the issue. Maybe you’d like them to attend demos. Present the company vision at a planning meeting. Or add their ideas to a group brainstorming session.
Define the details
The request can be more effective when it’s coming directly from the teams, such as comments in a retrospective. If teams are saying that they wish executives or other stakeholders were more engaged, try asking these questions to dig a little deeper.
- Why should executives engage? How could their engagement benefit the team?
Do teams not feel like upper management sees, supports, and values them? Are teams getting executive feedback too late? Do teams feel like they’re in the trenches alone? Are the vision and motivations of executives not clear? - How should they engage?
Does the team need them to listen, share information, give a pep talk, or collaborate? Engage in other ways like removing blockers or securing more resources? Share positive support, critiques, or a blend of both? - How often do they need to engage?
For example, if the team would like to see them at increment demos, do they need to attend every demo or once in a while? - How long does their engagement need to be?
Is a 30-min drop-in enough or do they need to spend more time with the team? - Who needs to engage?
Every executive? At least one? One in particular?
This information plus a quick conversation with the executive could be enough to change their behavior. Now they’re aware of what the team needs from them and why so they know what to adjust.
Your conversation with the executive might uncover objections and constraints. You can then use that new information to work out a compromise. For example, maybe they don’t have time to attend every demo, but could schedule in one day a month.
Your engagement approach also might vary over time. It could depend on how far along you are in the transformation, what you’re working on, and the needs of the teams. Revisit the questions above regularly to make sure you’re meeting the current needs of both sides.
In this first case we covered, the executive supported the transformation. But wasn’t aware of what the team needed from him or her in this new world order. What if teams need their support but executives aren’t engaging because they’re resisting the broader transformation?
Engaging a resister
They could be resisting for any number of reasons. The enterprise transformation means that they’ll need to change habits developed over years, for a cause they might not believe in, or an effort they might not have confidence in.
Initial assumptions about people’s motivations can turn into stories. Which can feel like facts over time. Try talking to them one-on-one to understand their reasoning before acting from assumptions.
Sometimes that initial fact-finding mission will need to be done by someone else. Someone who already has a good relationship with that executive, whom they feel comfortable opening up to. Work with this person to brainstorm questions to help uncover the reasons behind the executive’s actions.
When you understand the executive’s objections in his or her own words, you can shift your argument or next actions to account for their concerns.
In this case, rather than teams expressing what they specifically need from the executive, it may be more effective to switch it around. Ask the executive to brainstorm how they can help you solve the issue and guide other executives. Rather than an adversary to overcome, they are now a co-leader in this initiative. And partially in control of the change they’re going through.
For example, if teams would like more executive engagement, ask some of the questions from above to identify why they need it. Are they looking for some emotional, intellectual, or physical support? Then you could share the feedback with the “difficult” stakeholder. Ask them, “could you help us determine some solutions for improving [emotional] engagement?”
Engaging anyone
Engaging executives is not that different from engaging anyone else in the company.
They have tight schedules and a communication-style preference. Each executive has their own interests, background, and personality. They have existing relationships.
They’re working toward their own personal, project, and professional goal. They might feel undervalued when they’re not involved. Or feel like a newbie to this new system and not sure how they’ll fit in.
Stakeholder analysis is a good first step for understanding the needs and interests of all the parties involved. So you can work out the details of an engagement that will benefit everyone and account for tradeoffs. Check out this article for more tips about stakeholder analysis.
Have you encountered low executive engagement in your projects? How did you resolve it?