Friday Reflection (No. 57): Nourishing your Garden of Networks - Operational (Part 2)
April 7, 2023
Do you hear the people sing?
Singing the song of angry men?
It is the music of the people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!
“Do You Hear the People Sing?” Les Miserables (1987)
Les Mis is one of those musicals with song after song that gives me goosebumps.1 When “Do You Hear the People Sing?” gets to the climax, I am ready to grab a musket and climb a barricade to fight for the revolution.
While organizational life may not always be as exciting as the French Revolution, one key to achieving your goals as a leader is to have an Operational Network that is supportive and working in favor of your agenda. In other words, a wide range of people, who are beating their drums to the same rhythm that you established.
Leadership principle: Curate your Operational network for breadth and impact.
In my last Friday Reflection, I shared a framework for the four distinct types of networks that can help leaders achieve their full potential (1. Operational, 2. Strategic, 3. Developmental, 4. Support and Joy).
This week I’ll explore the “who” and “how” of curating the first one, your Operational Network.
As a reminder, this network includes people inside and outside your company (advisors, suppliers, distributors, etc.), upon whose work you rely to achieve your priorities.
The core of your Operational Network is your boss and your direct reports. That said, leaders tend to have the biggest blind spots and challenges with other individuals - functional peers and third parties (suppliers, distributors, advisors).2 The main reason for this is that the goals of peers and third parties are more likely to diverge from our goals than those of our boss or our teams.
Perhaps the most important person to have in your Operational Network is what I call - the organizational wayfinder. They know the cast of characters in an organization and can navigate them like a Polynesian explorer who has memorized the currents and the constellations on a thousand mile journey.3 They are connected with a diverse and wide range of people and are able to quickly hone in on who you may need to enlist to deliver on your goals. They can often help you to spot who may be a passive resistor to your agenda and/or who you may be neglecting.4
Unlike close friendships, Operational Networks are all about breadth. This is increasingly the case for leaders in larger organizations where almost all work is cross-functional in nature.
One challenge leaders often face in building an Operational Network for breadth is that they struggle to prioritize. It is impossible to give everyone an equal amount of time and attention.
In this case, what I often do with leaders is simple. We sit down and make a list of the individuals in their Operational Network. Then we qualitatively evaluate how critical each individual is to achieving their goals. For any individual that is rated as “high” or “medium high,” we develop a plan that includes better understanding who they are and how they work. Then we plan for a specific cadence of interaction (e.g., weekly, biweekly, monthly).
This exercise is by no means “organic chemistry,” but as simple as it sounds, many of the missteps that leaders make come down to underinvesting in the “outer relationships” in our Operational Network.
In one example, the leader of a mission critical transformation project had developed a strategy and implementation plan that was heralded by the CEO and the board. However, after six months in the role, his progress had stalled. He had hunkered down with his team and was so focused on execution that he didn’t take the time to bring his business counterparts along. And because he was under so much pressure to deliver, his meetings were rushed and transactional, and he even had a habit of canceling last minute with key partners because he “didn’t have time for it.” To get things back on track, he had to press the re-set button or else the entire initiative with such an elegant strategy was going to be put in jeopardy. After a painstaking three months of one-to-ones and group meetings with key stakeholders, he was able to bring all the key players back to the table and re-focus energy on the transformation.
The irony of this example is he neglected his Operational Network, because he wanted to move “fast,” but in the end it cost him nearly one year (and many sleepless nights) of progress.
Take Action: Practical and Proven Steps
Identify and assess your top 20 relationships in your Operational Network. Make the list. Then identify the following 7 things for each person: 1) Shared goals; 2) Where your goals are potentially in conflict; 3) How you can help them; 4) how they can help you; 5) what motivates them;5 6) how they best process information; and 7) what they care about outside of work. Finally, rate each relationship as either a promoter, neutral or detractor.
Share the list you create with 1-2 organizational wayfinders and ask them to help you determine if you are missing anyone important. Ask them two questions. 1) Who else is an important stakeholder for the projects I am driving? 2) Is there anyone I haven’t thought of that could hinder my ability to achieve the goals of my projects? If they identify important people that are missing, add them to the list above.
Create an intentional plan for the neutrals and the detractors. The plan should include both the cadence that you need with the person as well as ideas on how to strengthen the relationship. It is also important to use every interaction to deepen rapport and mutual trust as this can help to strengthen the quality of your Operational Network.6
Reflect: Some Questions to Consider
Who are your organizational wayfinders? When was the last time you got their guidance?
Who are the top 20 relationships in your operational network? And what is the strength of your relationship with each person?
What is one gap in your operational network that you need to close?
If this week’s Friday Reflection was practical or enjoyable (or maybe even both!), please share it with your colleagues and friends.
The one that gets me every time is “I Dreamed a Dream.” It’s so crazy that somehow there’s always a mist that hits my face just below my eyes when I hear this song. I can’t believe a song can create micro-climates ;) This is one of my favorite versions.
Herminia Ibarra is quite prolific on the topic of networks. When it comes to Operational Networks, she points out that it is the most natural network for leaders to build. Even still, most managers have blindspots in this area. You can read her 2007 HBR article here.
This National Geographic video on Polynesian Wayfinders will blow your mind. These people literally could remember what the current felt like at different points over a thousand mile journey.
These people are not always the most senior nor are they always internal. In fact, it’s relatively common for these people to be third parties.
I’ve written multiple Friday Reflections on motivation. A great place to start is the series on Self-Determination and the series on motives and decision-making.
Ibarra also makes this point multiple times in her work. A mentor of mine calls this “the relationship agenda.” I can hear her saying over and over - “Sean, what’s the relationship agenda for this meeting?” in contrast to my at times laser focus on the content agenda.