Taking stock of your strategy
Posted by Grant Brewer on 01 Nov 2006
The start of a new year is always a good time to step back a little from your day to day leadership or management tasks and think. As a leader, it is valuable to make time to think, to learn and refresh your ideas. When it comes to strategy, time away from the business can add clarity to your ideas and ensure that you don't mistake the strategy process for the real outcome of organisational strategy. This is a common mistake and it leads to strategy ceremonies that serve the strategic planning process, but that are not focused on getting the organisation to focus around a specific purpose and direction.
The start of a new year is always a good time to step back a little from your day to day leadership or management tasks and think. As a leader, it is valuable to make time to think, to learn and refresh your ideas. When it comes to strategy, time away from the business can add clarity to your ideas and ensure that you don’t mistake the strategy process for the real outcome of organisational strategy. This is a common mistake and it leads to strategy ceremonies that serve the strategic planning process, but that are not focused on getting the organisation to focus around a specific purpose and direction.
Avoid the new year strategy planning ceremony
So the first check of the new year is to ensure that you’re not leading your organisation into a strategic planning ceremony loaded with PowerPoint and brainstorming sessions that simply reinforce what you’re already doing. Strategy is about change of some kind – so make sure you have a clear purpose and a clear direction, both of which are very specific and can be explained in a few sentences.
The second check is to remind yourself that strategy is executed by the people in your organisation – and that means all of the people, not just the senior management. It is your organisation’s people that need to change their behaviour in the different activities that they perform throughout the working day. It is this behaviour change that makes the strategy real. Another common mistake is to focus only on the senior management and assume that they can change the organisation from their corner offices on the executive floor: that is simply not going to happen.
A few ideas are worth considering when you gaining some perspective on how to lead the execution of your strategy. First is to make sure that you understand the nature of the change that you’re looking for. At its simplest, you got two change choices: On the one hand, you might decide that you need to increase the focus on your core activity; the one that you’re really good. This means that you’ve got to be clear on what you’re leaving behind and rally your people around the real purpose of the organisation. Clayton Christensen, the best selling author of various books on innovation, describes Steve Jobs as using this approach to revive the fortunes of Apple Computer, Inc. Apple’s recent success didn’t come from changing their business model radically, but rather from refocusing on the cult-like culture of producing cool products that would change the world.
On the other extreme, you might have decided that your business needs to reinvent itself and leave the old core business behind. This requires re-focusing on a new purpose and direction
When faced with leading strategic change such as this with people at the core of the change, you need recognise that the you need to use different styles with different stages of business success or development. For example, if Apple didn’t have such a strong internal culture and commitment to its product, its strategy might not have been successful. There is a time and a place for different types of leaders: not all business that need a charismatic Richard Branson-like leader.
Adapt your leadership style
A good model worth using to get you thinking is the Situational Leadership model featured in Ken Blanchard’s books. It describes teams along two dimensions that describe the amount of direction or support they receive from management resulting in four styles of leadership (adapted from: http://www.chimaeraconsulting.com/sitleader.htm):
- Directing leaders define the roles and tasks of their team and supervise them closely. Decisions are made by the leader and announced, so communication is largely one-way.
- Coaching leaders still define roles and tasks, but seeks ideas and suggestions from their team. Decisions remain the leader's prerogative, but communication is much more two-way.
- Supporting leaders pass day-to-day decisions, such as task allocation and processes, to their team. The leader facilitates and takes part in decisions, but control is with the follower.
- Delegating leaders are still involved in decisions and problem-solving, but control lies with their team. The team member’s decide when and how the leader will be involved.
What is particularly interesting about this model, is that only one of four roles primarily uses a delegating approach – and most leaders think that management is all about delegating. The point is that there is a time and place for different approaches and sometimes a more directive or autocratic approach may be useful. Whilst life is never as simple as these models make out, they are useful at sparking some different thinking.
Bring your people along
Now that you’re recognised that the success of your strategy is dependent on your people, and you have started using different leadership styles in different circumstances, it is time to move to another level of people management. Start thinking about how your work environment reinforces the desired behaviour. For example, you can’t can’t really expect people to innovative in a dull, uninspiring workplace. What about your business technology – does it also reinforce the behaviour, purpose and direction of your strategy? Does it get information to the right people so their team they are empowered to make the best decisions? What about the team work and collaboration taking place within your organisation? Does your structure reinforce the levels of seniority or does it reflect an understanding of how conversations flow through your organisations. The For example, the most networked communications are not always in management positions.
Close out this year and start the next with a little strategic soul-searching and allow yourself some perspective on your strategy. Then come back at it with energy and passion. You should see the difference in the months ahead.
Taking stock of your strategy was published in Intellgence Magazine as Strategym #43 in November 2006.
Categories
Essays | Strategy | Intelligence Strategym
Tags
implementation (10) | leadership (7) | execution (3) | people (1)
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