It is one thing to draft a compelling strategic plan with your executive team. It is an entirely different and more challenging matter to execute that strategy effectively and consistently throughout the organization.
Does this sound familiar? Your global executive team has just completed a successful strategy retreat. Everyone is back at corporate headquarters or has flown back to their region. As a whole, the leadership team is re-energized and confident based upon the renewed strategic clarity, direction and alignment.
Now what?
Let's start with your executive team. You will know that a strategy retreat has been done right when the leadership team feels enough clarity and confidence about 10 key areas to move forward collectively:
- The Mission - Your organization's fundamental purpose and business
- The Vision - What you hope to become in the future if you fulfill your mission
- Values - Your fundamental beliefs and core decision-making filters
- Value Proposition - What differentiates and sets you apart from the competition
- Target Clients - The profile of your ideal client where you should win and thrive
- Optimizing Strategies - Where you will focus your efforts to have the most leverage
- Goals - The critical few goals to best accomplish your strategies
- Roles - What each person is really here to do to best execute the strategy
- Success Metrics - How success will be measured
- Actions - The key actions required to reach the goals
Clarity and commitment to these 10 areas is significantly more meaningful and motivating than the single incomprehensible word on the flip chart pictured above.
While it takes preparation, dedication and hard work, a clear strategy is worth the investment. Our organizational alignment research shows that strategic clarity accounts for 31% of the difference between high and low performing organizations.
In order to cascade and execute the strategy, each and every employee (with a heavy emphasis on line management) must have enough understanding of, belief in and commitment to where you are going, why it is important to go there, how to get there and the role they are expected to play.
Executing a new strategy is never easy. If you want your employees to personally commit to the struggle required to take the company to the next level, do not underestimate the importance of building the right mindset, plans and capabilities to pull it off.
Read the 3 Big Mistakes to Avoid When Cascading Your Strategy to Learn More
About LSA Global
Founded in 1995, LSA Global is a leading performance consulting and training firm that helps high growth technology, services, and life-science companies create a competitive advantage by powerfully aligning their culture and talent with their strategy. Learn more about getting aligned
