Building a Mental Map of Your Organisation

When you take on a broader leadership role such as stepping into a Head of Department or Director, the landscape shifts dramatically. It’s no longer just about your team or your deliverables — it’s about understanding how the whole business works.

I call this developing a “mental map” of the organisation’s priorities, culture, relationships, and interdependencies, and where do you and your team fit in all this.

These are some of the things I have found useful when stepping into a new leadership role. This will give you a high-level overview — setting you up to go deeper where and when you need to.

What drives and guides the business?

How does your organisation create value? Where does your function sit in value creation and/or risk avoidance or mitigation? What are the strategic priorities for the business?

Often the internal strategy will be more nuanced and specific especially about risks and constraints than what’s in the public domain. Your new boss is your first point of call but with their blessing, it’s useful some time with their boss and relevant members of the board.

Connect with your function’s finance business partner as soon as possible. A good finance BP is an invaluable ally and will keep you on the straight and narrow. Understanding the high-level budget will give you an indication of where the business priorities really are, over and above the fancy strategy and values information. It will take time to get into the budget detail but look for significant under/overspends, competing priorities and financial headwinds.

Culture

The old adages of “culture eats strategy for breakfast” and “culture is how things are done around here” are still spot on. And I always go back to the classic Covey habit – seek first to understand and then to be understood. Reflecting on these will do you very well here.

Policies and procedures are important, but they may or may not exist, may or may not be written down and either way may or may not be implemented. So, this may well be a process of asking questions and getting the lay of the land.

Observe team dynamics: What’s the local culture of the team you’re inheriting? How cohesive and collaborative are they? What motivates them individually and as a team? How do they behave in team meetings versus in one-to-ones?

Is there a difference between what’s said and what happens in practice? Use your so-called honeymoon period to ask pertinent questions across the board and get under the skin of the organisation.

What do frontline staff say? What do staff engagement survey results tell you? I have found meeting some of the frontline staff early sets a tone for a listening and open leadership style. It’s surprising what you see and hear and it shows you have a genuine interest in your new function.

Connect with your HR business partner as they will have a good view the team’s and overall business culture. They will understand the systems and processes you need to follow and where there is flex. They should also have a good overview of high performance and potential problem areas.

Interdependencies

There will all manner of interdependencies, realised or not, within the team and with the rest of the business. This can lead to overlap, gaps, role conflict and missed opportunities.

Understand the interdependencies within your team. Who relies on who? How does the team work together? Is it clear or rather vague? Are roles overlapping or are there gaps in responsibilities.

Map out interdependencies across functions: Which teams do you rely on — and who relies on you? Are there group functions you are reliant on or need to work closely with? Compliance and standards often sit with a group or central function – how do they affect you and your team’s day to day work?

Identify silos: Silos can be very sticky and embedded. There may well be silos within the team but more likely silos will exist between different departments or functions. You won’t be able to fix silos quickly but you can at least get the measure of them and identify the silos that are most detrimental to your function.

Relationships

Understand leadership styles: What makes your boss and your boss’s boss tick? How can you help them to best help you? A bit of upward management is never wasted. If you manage a team of leaders, what is their leadership style and does it align with your values?

Attend the team meetings of your team. Ask your peers how they get the best out of your boss. Get yourself an org structure diagram (if one exists) and highlight the key areas where you will need to network.

Meet key stakeholders: Not just your peers — connect with influencers across functions.

Ask thoughtful questions: “What’s working well?” “Where do you see friction?” “What would you change if you could?”

Listen more than you speak. Early on, your greatest asset is curiosity.

How to find your place

• Clarify your role: How do others perceive your function? What expectations exist?

• Identify quick wins: Where can you add value early to build credibility?

• Balance humility with decisiveness: You’re learning, but you’re also leading.

Leadership isn’t just about direction—it’s about orientation. The faster you understand the terrain, the more effectively you can navigate it.