Outcomes

• Shared understanding of why this work is important for SMEs and the critical work of an Owner Director team
• Explanation of the role of the Owner Mentor
• Understanding of importance of a vision – how aspirations of the owners drive all decisions in the business – and guidance for each Owner Director to begin developing their own
• Begin to induct the team with discussion on importance of trust & psychological safety

Owner-Mentor Prep

• Email participants information on venue, timing, logistics
• Send participants log-ins for online course to be completed before the workshop – the Delivery Coordinator can help with this
• Set up agenda for workshop 1 in the platform and tweak as appropriate (refer to Sandstone Landscaping Case Study’s owner teams for example agendas)
• Create role of Owner Mentor in the organisation’s embedADAPT, add yourself and populate the accountabilities, such as:
  • Support creation of a clear, detailed vision for guiding your business.
  • Help each owner and director get clarity on their accountabilities
  • Help them with an effective stewardship framework to carry out their responsibilities
  • Identify owner alignment
  • Clarify advisor roles to make roles and expectations of advisors clear and efficient
  • Strengthen stewardship: Use the platform to enhance management practices & habits
• Send leader terms and conditions and make sure they have accepted them
• Set up room – whiteboard and pens

Agenda

Welcome, Check-in, The plan

30 minutes

Everyone introduces themselves and explains backstory of how they became owners.

This is an opportunity to begin building your relationship with the owners by being vulnerable yourself and sharing your own journey openly and honestly.

Introduce the I-WE-IT check-in and how it works

Introduce the plan for the owner/director work so everyone is clear on the structure

SME Leadership Difference

30 minutes

Discuss key concepts behind succession thinking. Ask the team: What experiences have you had on boards, corporate and small businesses? Tease out the differences.

Key points: 

• Boards tend to serve shareholders and focus on short-term numbers
• Owner-Director teams serve people and focus on increasing stakeholder value in the long term
• Difference between corporate ROI and long-term thinking (ROV), not just an asset also a set of relationships
• Connection with vision and capital

Remind them of the purpose of this work: Help SME Owners build resilient businesses

Role clarity

20 minutes, Resources: embedADAPT Owner cards

Introduce your own role and accountabilities as Owner Mentor. Refer to the role you have already set up in embedADAPT.

Now ask them: What roles do you hold in your business? We believe SMEs need three clear layers of decision making and leadership to be truly effective (deliver on owners’ vision).

You can use the owner cards here although it is likely they will have seen them as part of the Sell process. 

Document these – in the platform or on a whiteboard.

BREAK

Vision

20 minutes

Explain the importance of the owner’s vision and how it differs from an externally communicated vision.
Ask: What is your vision? And then ask them: Why? Capture their ideas on the whiteboard.
Note: You are trying to uncover their real needs and aspirations.

Discuss the role of an entrepreneur – someone who has a vision and gets access to capital to achieve it (while managing how much risk they are prepared to take). What is their risk appetite? How does it differ from other owners in the room?

Explain the connection between owners’ aspirations and business strategy. It is important they can communicate the WHY of their vision to the organisation.

Team purpose

30 minutes

Ask the owner directors: What is the purpose of this team? 
Some examples might be: 

• To provide leadership for Internal Vision and Capital while complying with the regulatory system 
• To deliver a clear vision that becomes the key guidance for the business
• To maintain clear accountabilities for the Owner-Director team 
• Effective Stewardship to deliver on the accountabilities of Owner-Directorship
• Transparency of Owner alignment or non-alignment
• To make decisions on capital, vision, remuneration of the leadership team and profit distribution

Ask each owner to write down what they think the purpose of this team is.
Let them work individually, share, consolidate their ideas and enter into the Owners team.

Team model

10 minutes

Introduce adapt team model BRIEFLY and give a brief overview of the six aspects required for a high-performing team.

Depending on the size, complexity and level of discussion, you may get time to go through some of the factors of the team model, especially trust and psychological safety. Don’t rush it though – you will probably only get to this at the second meeting.

Check-out

Resources: Crafting an Internal Vision doc

Introduce homework – what is your internal vision for all stakeholders. Use the guidance document (Crafting an Internal Vision) to help.

Ask them to rate the session and identify their main take away.