The VP's Playbook: A Guide to Strategic Leadership and Organizational Impact
A Field Guide: What They Don't Tell You About Leading at the VP Level
The TL;DR
Leading at the VP level requires a unique blend of strategic thinking, organizational design, and leadership capabilities. It’s often the case that when you step in to these roles no one hands you a playbook for what is expected of you. Sadly, this leads to many operating less effectively and their organization tends to suffer from lack of great leadership and operational excellence.
This guide outlines the essential list of responsibilities and best practices for VPs, particularly in high-growth companies. Drawing from real-world experience, we explore how VPs can drive organizational success through strategic leadership, efficient resource management, and effective team development.
Note: This is not an exhaustive playbook and many of the areas outlines deserve their own deep dive. From my coaching, I’ve seen a number of leaders lack focus on and skill in a number of these areas which tend to hurt their performance and the results their team deliver. At the core of your success lies a focus on delivering results for the business, these areas when neglected tend to lead to poor outcomes, frustrated teams, and constant miss on results.
It’s important to understand what your role is at each stage of the company. What is needed in early stages will be much different at later stages and though the role may have a similar title, it will most certainly shift and so will the skills you will need to develop.
Key Areas Covered:
Strategic organizational design and structure
Cross-functional leadership and team alignment
Resource optimization and operational efficiency
Culture building and leadership development
Performance management and metrics-driven decision making
Coaching and developing directors and teams
One of the key distinguishing factors of a VP role is the importance of being strategic at the company level, as well as tactical in your focus. Depending on the company and team size, you may need to stretch your skills and play at different levels. You need to be a good judge of how to best spend your time and what would help you drive optimal results for the business.
So let’s dive in…