I read this month that Karen Quintos, the CMO at Dell, plans to speak up for women in business in 2016. As she explains in an article on Business Insider UK, “in 2016, I want to be a vocal champion of women in business. It’s both professional and personal for me. As a leader in the technology field, I have a front-row seat to the huge opportunity that exists for women today. And as a mom of two wonderful girls, I’m motivated every day by their dreams and limitless potential.”
I highly recommend you read the article on Business Insider as it looks at 31 super successful entrepreneurs including Tony Robbins, Barbara Corcoran and Arianna Huffington, who share what they’ve resolved to do over the next year. And that’s the one thing they all have in common, regardless of the nature of their goals: they have a strategic plan to support their goal.
Take Kevin Cleary, CEO of Clif Bar as another example. He plans to compete in one of the toughest athletic events in the world. In October 2016, he will take part in the Ironman Kona athletic event. To get prepare for the demanding competition, he will be doing long runs in the hills around his home, tackling an epic bike commute and waking up early to swim countless laps in the pool. In his case, this strategic plan is to practise rigorously and regularly in order to prepare for the event in the autumn.
But ‘strategy’ is one of those words that gets widely used at work, without really being truly ‘strategic’!
That may be because a robust, winning strategy can often be very hard to create.
Here are 5 helpful thoughts to guide you:-
1.Doing is harder than thinking
Many senior managers work really hard to develop excellent strategies – and then wonder why they fail. Successful execution usually requires acceptance and full belief from all those who have to implement the strategy, not just the creators!
Consider sharing your strategic deliberations with everyone involved in its implementation; invite their participation as appropriate – and at least their comments.
2. Make it YOURS
External facilitators and advisors can add considerable value to developing a winning strategy, through their objectivity, impartiality and willingness to challenge with integrity. But in the end they can only facilitate.
If the strategy is going to work, it must be YOUR strategy not that of your facilitator.
And if anyone doesn’t like it, they must be encouraged to say so!
3.Factor in people
Bright, young managers with a keen operational focus and a firm eye on financial and market outcomes often need reminding that they need to factor in the ‘softer’ elements of strategy development if their thinking is to be successful. Not just the impact on employees, but on other stakeholders such as shareholders customers and suppliers of course (as ‘people’ as well as organisations), and the local community.
Never forget that ‘people’ can be really good at sabotaging any strategy, if you don’t consider and engage them.
4.Action plan
Notwithstanding Tip 3, strategy development can only happen with time-bound actions and agreed responsibilities.
Because many business people hate to volunteer a thought or idea if they think they are going to be landed with the responsibility for developing it, why not consider drawing up the Action Plan at the end of your planning session, rather than as you proceed? This will also help you make sure that the necessary actions are evenly and reasonably distributed.
5.Break the mould
Winning strategies rarely involve ‘doing what we always did’ – because then you ‘always get what you always got’! This isn’t to say you shouldn’t ‘stick to the knitting’.
Rather, ask whether the way you ‘knit’, where you ‘knit’ and what you ‘knit’ is still appropriate; even whom you ‘knit’ for and who should do the ‘knitting’? (You may even ask why you ‘knit’!)
To develop a winning strategy often means doing things differently – as does all improvement. So encourage your colleagues to think outside the ‘well-established’. If your senior influencers may not like this, or hold ‘self-evident’ truths that may possibly be worth an updated challenge, show them these tips!
Want to read more of the Top Tips?
Visit the Creativedge ‘Top 10 Tips’ mobile App available for iPhone and Android smartphones:-
Appstore – https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/top-10-tips/id796349890?mt=8
Google Play – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.elixsoft.creativedge
