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As organizations evolve and adapt to changing market conditions, teams within the company are expected to keep pace and stay aligned with the organization's mission and goals. However, in the face of rapid technological advancements and shifting business priorities, team leaders can find it challenging to ensure their department's future is secure and remains relevant.
To avoid being replaced or phased out, team leaders need to be proactive in identifying opportunities and taking steps to keep their team aligned with the organization's mission and goals. Below, 15 Forbes Human Resources Council members offer their best tips for leaders who want to secure their department's future and ensure its relevance within the organization, even amidst budget cuts.
1. Analyze Data For Trends
Simply put, use data analysis and relationship building. Make your team indispensable by analyzing data for trends, and then responding appropriately. You will always be seen as a proactive team. Relationship building is also important. Knowing the needs of your organization creates the big picture. This allows you to play an integral part in the success of everyone within your organization. - Cathy Smith, Fairfield Chair Co.
2. Understand Your Market
Be a business person first! Functional expertise is secondary. Know your industry and market space. Know your customers and who your solution wins (and loses) against. Know the drivers of success and what moves the needle on the key metrics that matter for your company. Then, bring your functional expertise and perspective to contribute to the strategy. - Megan Barbier, Jumio
3. Consider Stakeholders In Decisions
Initially, the perspectives of stakeholders must be considered for operational and strategic reasons. Second, it is essential to have clear departmental objectives and an awareness of the local environment. Values, culture and ethics should be the manager's primary arsenal. The ability to work hard, take initiative and have mental agility are all qualities that a successful team leader needs to succeed. - Nara Ringrose, Aquila Nuclear Engineering
4. Highlight Success Stories
You must work to show the value your team brings to the business and highlight the success stories often. But, before sharing results, your team’s goals must be aligned with the company’s overarching mission and focus and everyone on the team should be aware of the aim. Share your strategy with leadership but don’t be afraid to pivot if you need to react to changing market conditions. - Kim Pope, WilsonHCG
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5. Communicate Results Often
The key to relevance is communicating results. I always recommend a planning process that creates a roadmap for what the priorities of the organization are, and that includes quarterly insights and impact reports that measure what you accomplished, what is left undone and what dependencies you need to succeed. There is an old saying—what gets measured gets done. This will help you drive results. - Cat Colella-Graham
6. Develop An Effective Strategy
Focus efforts on big-picture strategy. Too often departments will initiate policies and programs with the best of intentions, but without a clear strategy, it can become a series of random acts that ultimately becomes a revolving door. Ensure actions are part of an overall strategy to truly drive change. - Gianna Driver, Exabeam
7. Anticipate Change And Adapt
Team leaders should consistently anticipate changes in overall organizational goals and market dynamics, adapt their group’s skills and strategies to fulfill these goals and force implementation of these new strategies throughout their group. In this way, their businesses will thrive in dynamic market conditions, and leaders will evolve, ensuring continued relevance to the organization and team. - Elisabetta Bartoloni, Heidrick & Struggles
8. Invest In Your Department
As a leader, you are required to know the external forces at play and invest in your team’s strengths to best face the VUCA world. Continuously invest in their development and align their outcomes to business objectives. Ensure visibility and buy-in for their valuable contribution to the business. Do not fight change but rather be agile to adapt to it and drive it forward. - Rohit Manucha, SIH AGH
9. Make Your Team Visible
Get involved with the company to any extent possible. Set up one-on-one meetings with your manager and second-level manager if possible. Encourage your team to be visible; you can be involved in employee resource groups, present at all-hands meetings and be involved in company events and in instant messaging channels. The more visible you are, leadership will notice. - Erin ImHof, CertiK
10. Think Like A CEO
A team leader is not the decision-maker for a phase-out. Ensure you have open and transparent communication with the C-Suite. Anticipate business needs. Teach your team skills for the future as the company pivots. AI is here to stay. HR and Accounting teams are overhead not revenue generators. Think like a CEO. Determine how your team can add value versus being a cost. - Patricia Sharkey, Sharkey HR Consulting, LLC
11. Be Proactive And Identify Opportunities
Stay current on the company's mission and goals, proactively identify opportunities to contribute to the organization's success, and ensure that the team consistently delivers quality results that align with the company's objectives. Make sure that the team is innovative and agile in their approach to the department's tasks, so they can quickly adapt to changing market conditions. - Jonathan Romley, Lundi
12. Focus On The Clients
Staying relevant means staying relevant for the organization's clients and output. Leaders should drive their departments and teams toward providing the best outcomes to clients. That keeps the whole organization at the forefront and keeps your team and your department (no matter the function) relevant in the big picture. - Nick Frey, Avomind
13. Align Your Department With The Organization
A team leader should ensure that the department is evolving with the organization's needs. Look at where the organization is going, and its needs when they get there. Work with your team to ensure you have the skills and processes to help the organization get there. Ensure you are adding value and doing something that can be easily replaced by a process or outside party. - Amy Casciotti, TechSmith Corporation
14. Drive Measurable Business Outcomes
Use your subject matter expertise to support the business and drive measurable business outcomes. Use your expertise to drive productivity, profitability and efficiency. Most importantly, be a change agent and driver of change who consistently challenges the status quo and strives to deliver best-in-class services and outcomes for the internal and external clients your department serves. - JacLyn Pagnotta, Rose Associates Inc.
15. Know How Your Team Reacts To Change
Pay attention to how your team handles change. Are they excited or terrified? If they are excited, lean into that even more and embrace the fact that it energizes them. If they are frightened and resistant, invest in your team by employing quality change management techniques to avoid the “this is how we’ve always done it” mentality. - Lisa Shuster, iHire
