Creating Conditions for Strategy

“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all,” said the late Austrian-American thinker, Peter Drucker.

This quote came into my mind at a recent Institute of Travel Management buyer knowledge exchange in the U.K. During the session, I asked: Are you getting what you need from your travel management company account manager? Most said no. Many made the same plea: “We’d like them to be more strategic.”

After 15 years in TMC account and client management, I recognise the patterns. Buyers often load account managers with tactical work, then wonder why there is no strategic lift. When the calendar is full of operational firefighting, there’s no space for higher-order thinking. Opportunities are missed.

Here is a test for any travel leader who wants a strategic partner. Ask yourself two questions: first, what were the last three things you asked of your account manager? And second, were those requests aligned with your organization’s goals and objectives? If not, you have the starting point for change.

A Guide to Getting Strategic

The role needs a reset on both sides. Account managers should not be the people who chase down why the CEO’s flight was delayed. That belongs in operations. If you need operational support, buy operational support. If you do not need a full-time account manager as written in your contract, reshape the model. Aim for a mix of operation support and account management delivered by different people.

TMC leaders have work to do as well. Match skills to the work the client really needs, not to a legacy description. If the client asks for tactical support, you should staff for that. If the client wants lift, staff for strategic planning, analytics and change management, and protect that time.

We also need to stop building cottage industries that consume time without delivering value. Early in my career, I spent the 20^th of each month writing commentary for 32 reports for one customer. After a year without a single acknowledgement, I stopped sending them. It took three months for anyone to notice, and even then, no one asked me to resume the task. Busy is not the same as valuable.

In my current role leading travel services for energy firm Wood, we have reframed how we communicate travel’s purpose and benefits and aligned the program to corporate strategy. We publish a clear plan that sets expectations on what will be delivered and, critically, what will not. We say “no” when necessary. The result is more focus and more impact.

The shift shows up in how we meet. Before a recent quarterly business meeting our global account manager said, with some relief: “normally I would be building 30 to 40 slides for a quarterly review. This is refreshing.” We used the time to discuss outcomes that matter to the business, not to thumb through deck pages.

Client and vendor retention begins the day the contract is signed. Be explicit about what you need from each other. Do not hesitate to reconfigure the split between operational and strategic work. Manage expectation inside your organization and with your TMC. Most of all, enable the account manager to spend time on the problems that change outcomes.

One thing is constant: Account managers sit at the centre of a managed travel programme and are the lens though which the TMC is judged. The challenge is to create the conditions for meaningful work. That way, Drucker’s advice is not so much a warning as the way forward.