Once upon a time, there was this big company. This company wanted to grow into a bigger company, so it huffed and puffed and blew its competition over...THE END.
I wish I had $100 for every time I have heard, "Our organizational strategy is stuck." "We did our planning, but it was just that, planning and no execution."
What we have found, with some of our clients is that strategy gets stalled. And it gets stalled somewhere between the top and the employee, who by the way has to actually execute on that strategy. The problem is, in my opinion that leadership understands the strategy and doesn't do a good job of translating it for the next level. The 3 ring binder with all the initiatives, the vision, the mission, values etc is great. Except....when no one knows what to do differently.
So, why not explain the strategy in a simple, easy to understand way. I know....what a novel idea. Use a story, with a beginning (current state) a plot (what we will do differently) and an end (what we will look like when we are finished).
Employees will be so grateful. No more strategy by PowerPoint...just an easy to understand story.
HR is great at this, so get your strategy documents and start writing!!
I wish strategy execution was as easy as telling a story, but it's not. There are several other critical success factors for a successful implementation:
1) Make sure strategy is understood by ALL employees
2) Make sure ALL functions, departments, and divisions have mapped their strategy and understand how their contribution impacts the overall strategy
3) Make sure goals and objectives are tied to performance management system
4) Make sure metrics are created and tracked
5) Accountability for results is a must
Don't let all your planning be in vain...be deliberate about your execution!
Tell me about your challenges and successes with strategy execution....