FOR TEAM LEADERS
What we tell our teams
Built from the closing conversation. The ELT agreed messaging should be consistent across every leader, that associates' day-to-day will feel largely the same, and that the ask should always come with the why.
AELT message to all teams (email or all-hands)
Subject: What the leadership team decided this week
Over two days this week the leadership team stepped back to look at where proSapient is and what it will take to keep growing well.
Our mission has not changed. We provide expert intelligence on demand. What we recognised is that we have not always explained it consistently, and that we have tried to do too many things at once.
So our theme is focus. For the next three months that means strengthening our core: how we hire, how we develop managers, the standards and playbooks that make great client service repeatable, and a small set of numbers we all understand. The technology we have is strong. The next step is making sure our ways of working get the most from it.
This does not mean we have stopped caring about technology, partnerships or new products. Our product and engineering teams will focus on the experience of experts, clients and managers, and we will keep a dedicated space for innovation.
It also does not mean taking our eye off this quarter. Delivering a strong Q4 for our clients matters as much as ever.
As a leadership team we have each committed to three priorities for the next 90 days and we will hold ourselves accountable for them, to you and to each other. Where we ask for your time to help, we will explain why and what it will change for you. Where we can remove distractions, we will.
Growth is more fun when it is built on solid foundations. That is what we are doing.
BTalking points for team leaders
The one sentence: we are focusing on strengthening our core so the business can scale, while still delivering a strong Q4.
WHAT IS CHANGING
- Leadership priorities for the next 90 days centre on hiring, manager development, clear standards and playbooks, and a small set of health metrics.
- Product and engineering will focus on expert experience, client experience and manager tooling.
- Some roadmap and partnership work will be paused or narrowed. Say this plainly if asked.
WHAT IS NOT CHANGING
- The mission: expert intelligence on demand.
- Our commitment to clients and to this quarter's delivery.
- Our investment in technology.
WHAT WE ARE ASKING OF YOU
- Directors: roughly a 50/50 split, driving the day to day while helping build the foundations.
- Managers: focus on a strong Q4 with your team. You will be asked for input on playbooks and standards, and we will be clear about how much time that takes.
- Associates: your day to day should feel largely the same.
IF YOU ARE ASKED
- "Is this a restructure?"
- No. It is a change in focus and sequencing.
- "Are we cutting tech?"
- No. We are pointing it at the problems closest to clients, experts and managers.
- "What does this mean for my career?"
- Career progression and a clearer manager track are part of the CS talent plan being finished now.
- "What if Q4 and the foundations clash?"
- Tell your leader. We would rather pause a foundation task for two weeks than lose a quarter.
CMessage for team leaders to pass to associates (spoken, two minutes)
The leadership team spent two days this week working out what matters most for the next few months. The short version is focus. Our mission is the same, expert intelligence on demand for our clients. What they want to get better at is the foundations underneath it: how we hire, how managers support you, clear standards for what great looks like, and making it easier for everyone to do their best work, not just a few people.
For you, day to day, not much changes. Keep delivering for clients this quarter. Over the coming weeks some of you may be asked for your view on how the best work gets done. When that happens you will be told why, and what it will change for you.
If something gets in the way of you doing great work, say so. That is exactly what they want to hear.
// same words, every team