You are never going to catch a sunset running east, no matter how fast or how hard you run.
The same thing is true for your strategy. If your strategy is off, your execution efforts are not optimized. Conversely, if your strategy is right, but your ability to execute your strategy is weak, you will never scale your company to its full potential.
Optimizing your strategic thinking and execution planning rhythm is more important than ever.
Yet for many organizations, strategic thinking and execution planning are difficult to get right. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, 61% of business leaders struggle to bridge the gap between strategy creation and its implementation.
“Our strategy feels off base.”
“Our strategy seems to change all the time.”
“We do not know how to execute our strategy.”
These are just a few of the complaints I hear from middle managers in companies when I begin to work with them, further cementing the wide gap between strategy and execution.
Every time you leave a strategic planning session, you and your team must all be aligned on your vision, your strategy, and the most important priorities to move your business forward.
What does the ultimate destination look like, why does it matter, and is your progress measurable with a BHAG?* A vision should be bold, inspiring, and inclusive. Remember, weak visions have no power. You want your employees inspired to be a part of your vision.
Set milestones as well as strategic priorities that will ensure you are perceived as unique and valuable to the clients you most want to serve. This means identifying market-facing capabilities as well as internal competencies that need to be developed to help you win.
Assign targets, create top priorities, and select the critical numbers for the year and next quarter. Your plan should move you toward your BHAG while allowing for adaptability and flexibility. Make sure team members are clear on their commitments and fully bought-in to the plan.
Remember, moving your business forwards requires more than just making a decision or creating a strategic plan. As soon as the sun rises the next day, make sure you and your team are making the right moves to execute your 90-day action plan. Daily and weekly huddles will help you close the gap between deciding and doing.
The best companies in the world don’t leave their strategy up to fate. They have a clear vision for the future – one that is supported by a strategic plan designed to make your future vision tomorrow's reality.
In my 30+ years of leadership experience, there’s a phrase I like to repeat:
If you want to go fast, do it alone.
If you want to go far, build a team.
If you want to go further faster, do it with a stacked approach.
A stacked approach helps you create and execute a strategic plan that accelerates scale. It combines three pillars that make it easier for you and your team to think bigger, think bolder, and act with the decisiveness necessary to win in your marketplace.
Scaling your business requires you to master the Scaling Up® Four Decisions.
Cash: Generate consistent sources of internally generated cash.
Strategy: Create a differentiated strategy that powers long-term growth and provides you with pricing power.
People: Build a culture and systems that attracts, retains, and develops the best people.
Execution: Drive down ownership, decision making, and problem solving, freeing more time for you and your executive team to work on the business rather than in the business.
Mastering these four decisions will put you in the same class as those that scale up and separate you from the many who do not.
The Expertise of a Scaling Up® Certified Coach
You need someone who is committed to your success as much as you are. As a Scaling Up coach, I will focus you and your team on:
I often see the gap between what an executive team believes they can do, versus what they are truly capable of achieving. The right coach can help you and your team eliminate the limiting beliefs that keep you from clearly seeing the art-of-the-possible.
Being in a group environment with other strong leaders committed to the Scaling Up® platform challenges your team’s beliefs around what is possible and what they can accomplish. Having other like-minded leaders sharing their experiences can significantly help find shortcuts and get to competence and confidence faster.
Here are three benefits of being part of a community of like-minded leaders.
By being exposed to a range of stories and experiences, you’ll feel inspired to establish and execute a strategic plan that moves your business toward your ultimate end game.
When your team commits to a stacked coaching approach to create the right strategic and execution plan, you can achieve four outcomes:
Leaning on a proven framework, an experienced coach, and the support of other leaders who have been in your shoes is the perfect formula for outsized success.
Companies around the world are littered with plans that are never implemented. Their strategic plan hasn’t been updated in months or is lying around in a forgotten drawer. Don’t waste all the time and energy invested in creating your winning strategy by not executing it.
For many years, I’ve witnessed how a lack of expert guidance and strategy can negatively impact business success. With a stacked approach to coaching, I’ve helped numerous teams think bigger, think bolder, and take decisive action.
My two-day, 16-Hour Growth Plan workshop is specifically designed to help you close the gap between deciding and doing. With the support of like-minded leaders in a highly collaborative environment and an experienced coach, you and your team will be equipped with a one-page strategic plan and a 90-day action plan that’s ready for immediate execution.
Reach out today to learn how you and your executive team can go further faster while having more fun.
*Collins, J. C., & Porras, J. I. (2005). Built to last: Successful habits of visionary companies. Random House.