Advice and support

‘Imagine if I had someone to discuss this with – someone who does not have an agenda of their own – and who has been in a similar situation and understands my position. I wish I could bounce my thoughts off someone confident enough to give me a straight response, along with constructive feedback on the situation we are currently facing.’

The success and progress of an operation is dependent on the ability of managers and staff to function effectively in their own activities and to cooperate both with each other and with other parts of the organisation.

The collective capacity of the management team is vital in enabling staff to achieve their full potential and for the organisation to reach its set targets.

Few positions are as demanding as a manager’s. The feeling of being alone and realising that there is no one you can discuss certain matters with is the reality facing many managers – no matter whether they are new to the role or have years of experience.

The spectrum of needs may include discussing – and thereby testing – purely strategic development questions, a specific situation which involves a political or operational situation in the company or how, as CEO, you can achieve success in a foreign-owned group.

Perhaps there is a need to discuss situations involving a particular leadership issue where specific action is required – to get a message across to a subordinate or resolve a situation within the organization.

The adviser’s role is both to challenge and to support the manager’s own ideas.

The advice and support we give are always based on the operation’s present position and the needs of the individual manager, and:

• are linked to the actual situation facing the company or operation
• are tailored to the manager’s own leadership and to the goals of the operation
• give perspective on the outside world, the role and the operation
• foster the ability to develop the manager’s own leadership
• give scope for reflection for increased awareness and effectiveness in leadership
• develop the ability to turn insights gained into changed behaviour

Advice and support are confidential, which means that the manager has access to a ‘risk-free’ resource which can provide rapid assistance when required.

Our book, Livskraftigt ledarskap/Vigorous Leadership, under the heading Advice and support, examines the varying needs and experience of three managers and the advice and support provided.