The Relationship Management Director

Over time we have come to realise that the lack of a clear view of the role of a Relationship Manager is a major reason why many relationships under-perform. To quote one of our Simple Guides:

“Most relationships will miss opportunities to capitalise on their strengths because no-one has an overall view of the joint enterprise. More often than not the relationship management that exists is scattered amongst a number of individuals: the bosses at their annual game of golf; the salesman who is keen to keep the customer happy so he can land the follow-on deal, the commercial officer who manages the contract and sorts out the problems left by the salesman and, finally, the administration, logistics and operations people who have the job of making things happen. In the case of the micro business owner, it’s tucked away in the back of his head whilst trying to juggle twenty things at once. In the case of a supply chain the end to end perspective is lost amongst the people who manage the individual links.”

In an attempt to change perceptions we have drafted a Relationship Management Director specimen, job spec. We have deliberately raised the level of seniority to make the point that regardless of organisation size the relationship management role is strategically important. What do you think? Would you use this specification to profile a Relationship Manager?

A Relationship Management Director Job Specification

The role operates at Board level and is responsible for the firm’s ability to create and capture measurable collaborative value.

• Strategic Role

  • Guides strategic decisions that lead to selecting and defining the commercial arrangements for working with a new partner

  • Identify emerging opportunities for collaboration and how they can be exploited

  • Reporting on the performance of strategic relationships

  • Ensure that policies which inform strategic decision- making are current

• In-house co-ordination Role

  • develop, implement and maintain the collaborative business relationship management process throughout the organisation

  • become the resource for knowledge and experience in collaborative working

  • co-ordinate all internal activities to ensure that they line up with the requirements for supporting external partners

• Partner co-ordination Role

  • synchronise work with each partner company including processes, policies and resourcing

  • jointly manage governance and performance for each relationship

Key Accountabilities

• Has supervisory responsibility for the company relationship management team.

• Apply a structured framework such as an Enterprise Relationship Management Plan to relationship management activities to include the decision, operations and exit phases

• Identify key stakeholders both within the partnerships and externally and gain buy-in to collaborative working through the use of an effective communication plan

• Monitor relationship performance and track benefits

• Create an environment that promotes continuous improvement and innovation

Skills and Personal Qualities

The RMD must have

• proven leadership qualities

• the capacity and willingness to develop, organise and manage a collaborative venture, along with any of its risks, to achieve the aims of the business

• highly effective communication capability at all levels

• a strategic view of the business, the industry and the wider marketplace

• established effective networks

• mediation and service skills requiring empathy, listening abilities, and awareness

Competencies and Strengths

Overall the RMD must be a leader able to

• show credible experience of engaging, developing, motivating and leading cross functional teams

• work effectively with a wide range of stakeholders

• build loyalty and confidence within and between teams

• and encourage people to perform through co-operation

• Cognitive

  • demonstrate credible experience of finding practical solutions from complex and ambiguous information

  • learn rapidly and apply that learning

  • work with concepts which will assist change and continuous improvement

  • design thoughtful plans, assess priorities within the plans, then put the plans successfully into action

  • effectively manage organisational systems

• Persuasion

  • show credible experience of building on the ideas of others to complete tasks

  • assist others in reaching decisions with a reasonable balance of risk-taking and careful behaviour

  • demonstrate effective mediation skills that ensures parties remain engaged

• Self-management

Demonstrates

• experience of personal resilience within difficult relationship building

• encouraging resilience in others

• reducing barriers to change and the embracing of new alliances

• curiosity to find valuable knowledge and experience from internal and external partners

• high levels of self-motivation which encourages others to strive towards objectives