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Attributes of the t3 framework:
the right stuff

The "right stuff" is about ensuring the right people are in place and ready to deliver. They feel strongly that they are working with a group of people they respect and can get the job done. The foundation of any team are the people who comprise it. The needs of any team go far beyond ensuring they "can do" the job itself (competence) and extend to areas that allow the team, and its individual members, to work effectively together in delivering the desired outcomes.

These include, for example, possessing a growth mindset, allowing people to adapt more effectively to adversity and solve problems that lead to a breakthrough (‘can do’ attitude). Openness to other’s ideas (a true team player), grit and positivity are other examples of traits of people that are important on any team.

Simply put, members of the team "can do, can do".

clarity & alignment

People and teams are clear on what they need to do and why it is important. High-performing team feel strongly that the direction is clear, and line-of-sight exists between their work and that of the teams or organization on the whole.

There is clarity in the vision, mission and objectives of the team and clarity in how such objectives cascade down to each and every member within it.

Clarity is nothing without alignment, at least over the longer-term. People who know what to do can certainly deliver some good results, within their own sphere of influence; however, alignment is vital for sustained execution excellence. Alignment suggests that people are committed to their role and what they need to do to produce good results.

Simply put, members of hte team "know what to do."

empowerment

Empowerment is all about ensuring people have the freedom, support, and tools to deliver on what is expected along with the systems and process to work effectively together.

The nature of the way organizations are designed and the likelihood that most are populated by human beings leads to a natural dysfunction that often is referred to as silo thinking or behavior. Left alone, silo behavior and potentially relational-based conflict WILL arise. This calls for organizations to install a ritual that ensure these are outlined, clarified, and negotiated so that people can work effectively together in driving value for their customers, and the business.

Additionally, we find many teams that have too many priorities that are crippling the team’s effectiveness and/or leading to burnout. Typically, ad hoc demands from the business may be the culprit, and without a priority reconciliation process, frustration emerges.

Simply put, members of the team are "allowed and enabled to".

belonging

Belonging suggests that people fit within your organizational context—they "belong" here and are connected to the organization.

Organizations cannot afford to have disengaged employees—and yet, many in the workforce report being actively disengaged. Others are passively disengagement manifesting in some form of "quiet quitting." This results in lost productivity and an unhappy workplace in general.

While there are many factors that may be at play here, the most important one is a sense of connection people have with their company, a belief that they (the company) are doing the right thing (beyond making money) and that they are operating in a way that is consistent with making a real contribution to society. For newer generations of workers this is of particular importance. It all starts with purpose and values.

Simply put, members of the team "believe it's right to do".

agile execution

Agile Execution is all about how the team works together to adapt to dynamic conditions. It is our belief that no initial plan will survive for very long, placing a burden on the team to pivot consistently in order to deliver upon their strategic outcomes.

In today’s VUCA world, planning is taking on new forms as organizations recognize that within weeks after initiating any plan, it can be rendered, at worst case, useless, or in best case, intentions remain on track but how one gets there changes rapidly. The environment is simply too dynamic to invest months preparing, planning, and budgeting for a reality that may not exist in six months.

In our view, get the strategic intent right, plan on how to get there, and instill agile execution rituals that allow the team to adapt to the realities of executing against the plan.

Simply put, members of the team "will do what it takes with integrity".

togetherness

A sense of togetherness results when the teams do the other five attributes well, leading to sustained high-performance and lots of enjoyment working with fellow colleagues. No matter how remote a team may operate, leaders need to work to secure this sense of "togetherness" and, ideally, bring people together every so often.

In such teams, not only do you have exemplary engagement and behaviors from all constituent members but that final piece of "social glue" -- individuals motivated also by the very company of their team colleagues. This is the zone where intra-relationships are defined by shared levels of high professional respect and, indeed, deep friendships.

Team members bearing this attribute scale even greater heights (sometimes literally!) because not only are they passionate about what they do (as built on all the preceding qualities) but it is this comradeship that sits at the very nexus of this passion. There is no place they would rather be than with the companionship of their comrades and, with this fellowship, a sense of collective invincibility. For such teams, there is a mindset of "anything together".

Simply put, members of the team "build a legacy".

videos

Strategic Planning | CNG

In early 2019, Warren Pullen, EVP of Central National Gottesman (CNG) recognized that in order for his already successful company to mature and grow he would need to invest in certain capabilities and he engaged Perpetual to explore some ideas. After a 2-day off-site meeting with his Leadership Team and having completed a survey called the t3® Diagnostic, Warren quickly identified some key areas that would make a difference in the outcomes he was hoping for. The t3® Diagnostic is a tool calibrated to the Perpetual team-to-togetherness model that identifies organizational strengths and opportunities based on the six attributes of high performance.

The results of the survey identified ‘Strategic Planning and Alignment’ as areas of opportunity that would sit at the heart of an overall initiative aimed at promoting organizational health and better business outcomes and Perpetual was asked to support Warren and his leadership team in these areas. With an upcoming Partner conference scheduled for a couple of months in the future – the clock was ticking on establishing a strategic plan that was robust and detailed enough to be delivered to an internal and external stakeholder audience. 

Thankfully, the Perpetual Strategic Planning program is designed to achieve just that. Based on concepts used by the military to put together fast and effective plans, and shaped by many experiences in helping executive leadership and brand leadership teams to construct impactful plans, this program leverages the knowledge and experience ‘in the room’ to deliver an effective plan, in a format that can be communicated to a broader audience.

Seizing the momentum, Warren quickly organized a strategic planning meeting for his leadership team – to be facilitated by Perpetual. In just 2 days the team left the meeting with a solid plan, that would be refined over the coming weeks as the implications of the decisions made at the offsite were identified and likely friction points considered. This is totally normal – both the speed of the initial meeting and the need for a period of reflection for everyone involved. But how is it possible to shape such an important plan in such a short timeframe?

Well, Perpetual uses a case study based on the NASA moon landing in 1969 to open up the team’s minds to the possibility of setting an audacious goal for the future of the company and putting in place the plans to achieve it. Important elements of the Strategic Plan include a clear Vision Statement and a set of Strategic KPIs for the business that will measure progress toward achieving the desired outcome. The next task is to decide on a set of Strategic Pillars that will describe the main areas of focus for the strategy and associated tasks that will need to be achieved. Within 48 hours, the Perpetual team had guided Warren and his leaders from a blank sheet of paper to having a good first draft of the strategy that they were comfortable with and engaged behind – After all they had just put it together!

Over and above facilitating the process, Perpetual’s role in this program was to bring a depth of knowledge from similar work with a multitude of other clients, to guide the conversation and the ensure that there was a challenging debate with all stakeholders involved – without this important team interaction, experience shows that even the best strategies will fail due to lack of belief and engagement when it comes to execution.

So where are we now? Well, the strategy was refined in the lead up to the Partner Conference and Warren and his team were able to confidently share their vision and promote a broader discussion with both internal and external stakeholders on the implications of the plan. After the conference, workstreams were identified that brought together employees from across the globe to participate in projects that continue to drive the strategic outcomes. Perhaps most importantly, the whole initiative enabled a cultural transformation, encapsulated in the mantra of ‘team-to-togetherness’ that enabled the company to thrive in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, creating a belief that anything is possible through collaboration and innovation.

CNG, founded in 1886, is the leading global commodity trading company in the space of pulp, paper, packaging, tissue and other cellulose products. Warren has since been promoted to Co-President of Central National.

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