The gap between leadership expectations and support simply blows my mind. Most leaders rise to their positions through deep subject matter expertise. If their organizations are forward-thinking, they may also invest in leadership development to help them grow into their roles. But when it comes to strategy, arguably one of the most critical leadership skills, […]
If you’re reading this, the chances are that you’ve found yourself in a position where you’re expected to be involved in strategy either for the entire organisation or the department where your responsibility lies – and you feel a little out of your depth. I’d like to reassure you that you are not alone. Many
Strategy isn’t a job – but you need the Skill Read Post »
For decades, the saying went: “No one ever got fired for hiring McKinsey or BCG.” These firms, and others like them, represented the gold standard for corporate strategy. But recently, a seismic shift is shaking this narrative. A top executive I know of was recently unceremoniously removed by their board—not for incompetence or malfeasance, but
If You Hire Big Consulting to Design Your Strategy, You Might As Well Be Fired Read Post »
When it comes to designing strategy, I see two approaches collide. Vision-driven strategy versus problem-driven strategy. Vision-driven strategy starts with describing a desired status quo, at some point in the future, for example 3-5 years from now. Problem-driven strategy, on the other hand, aims to define and address the biggest immediate hurdle to overcome to
Problem vs vision: what you should ground your strategy in Read Post »
Executive Leadership Teams (ELTs) often find it challenging to shift gears, from day-to-day operations to long-term strategy. This brings a number of challenges, the most obvious ones is that the No.1 ELT responsibility is shaping strategy and culture. No-one else can take this job off their plates. Here are the main reasons behind this struggle
Why ELTs struggle to focus on strategy and how to overcome It Read Post »
Why do strategies fail? Apart from making wrong choices, one topic stands out: failure to engage teams and help them understand a new strategy. Strategy communication is so crucial, yet few companies truly nail it. Before you can link individual roles, responsibilities, and targets to the strategy, people need to understand what the strategy means
Aligning Employees on Strategy – The Art of Strategic Dialogues Read Post »
“Here we go again.” This was my initial thought when a client was reluctant to establish structures for strategy implementation. I had seen similar hesitation before – and the negative consequences of lacking strategy governance. Neglecting governance – reasons vary, see below – is a bad idea. Without strategy governance, leaders and staff often get distracted
Avoiding the Tyranny of the Urgent – The Power of Strategy Governance Read Post »
Think about strategy conversations as a seed. And think about your team environment as soil. If the seed falls on toxic or infertile soil, and nothing will grow from it, but weeds. Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith conceptualized the team performance curve, a J-shaped graph, illustrating five levels of teamwork. Unless you become at least
Great Teams Create Great Strategy. But Most Teams aren’t Teams. Read Post »
A couple of days ago, I posed this question to my LinkedIn network. There was a flood of responses that unveiled the essence of strategy in its various forms, partly inspired by thought leaders. Here’s a breakdown of the collective wisdom, highlighting some of the most interesting perspectives: Maximum Force at Weakest Point: Pinpointing vulnerabilities
What the Heck is a Strategy anyway? Read Post »
When a client had just completed a merger, they were shooting for the top spot in the market. While the physical aspects of the merger, such as housing and IT, went well, the cultural merger was dragging behind. The company struggled to overhaul work procedures and create a general work philosophy across all units. As
The Hardest Thing to get Right – How to Solve Your Communication Issue Read Post »
When it comes to designing strategy, I often see two approaches collide. Vision-driven strategy versus problem-driven strategy. Vision-driven strategy starts with describing a desired status quo, at some point in the future, for example 3-5 years from now. Problem-driven strategy, on the other hand, aims to define and address the biggest immediate hurdle to overcome
Vision or no Vision – The Art of Storytelling in Strategy Read Post »
A business strategy typically addresses a mid-term time horizon, often three to five years. Here’s the issue: the shorter the timeframe, the less likely will your strategy create real competitive advantage. Winning in your market requires you to look beyond the immediate strategy cycle. To define the big bets. Foresight involves understanding longer-term developments beyond
Defining the Big Bets – The Power of Strategic Foresight Read Post »
The first leadership job typically comes to a person because they are great at what they do. And because they master their subject, someone thinks the expert would make a great leader, teaching others how to do it. That someone often doesn’t understand much about leadership in the first place. Subject matter expertise has little
From Time Teller to Clock Builder – How I Failed to Lead and Started Over Read Post »
Developing effective leaders is a critical component of any successful organization. But simply training individuals in leadership skills doesn’t cut it. For maximum impact – and return on investment – development programs must be integrated with an organization’s business strategy. 15% Improvement in Organizational Performance Organizations that link leadership development to their business goals see
How Strategic Leadership Development Creates RoI Read Post »
Strategic thinking is a key skill for leaders and executives. Almost every job ad out there lists it as a requirement. Here are 5 key habits of strategic thinkers to help you get your head around the question: what is strategic thinking? 1. Practise Purposeful Networking Strategic thinking involves curiosity and learning from others. I
5 Habits of Strategic Thinkers to Boost Your Influence Read Post »
Two approaches have proven particularly effective to start aligning leadership teams at the beginning of a strategy and identity process: Combining a 360-degree feedback and a team assessment. These tools address individual leadership challenges and create transparency about a team’s level of functionality. Functional team consisting of conscious leaders will dare to create strategy beyond
Two Must-Have Resources To Design More Impactful Strategy Read Post »
Most vision statements I’ve seen in fact aren’t vision statements. They are aspirations, inspirations, or slogans. Something businesses would publish on their websites. But nowhere close to being a vision in the sense of this definition: Vision can best be defined as an organization’s desired state at a certain point in the future. Function: It
How to Write a Great Vision Statement Read Post »
What’s the job of an executive leader? So many thoughts come to mind. But in a nutshell it comes down two two things: they’ve got to define the choices to win in a company’s chosen marketplace (that’s business strategy) and make sure everyone’s vibing on the same frequency (that’s company culture). Crafting a Business Strategy
The Essence of Executive Leadership: Nailing Business Strategy and Culture Read Post »
This is an excerpt from an interview with Alex Brueckmann that was first published by Authority Magazine – read the full interview here. In order to make sure that we are all on the same page, let’s begin with a simple definition. What does Operational Scalability mean to you? At its core, operational scalability is
Wayne Gretzky, often hailed as the greatest hockey player of all time, holds a legacy that transcends the rink. Beyond his exceptional skills on the ice, Gretzky’s mindset and approach to the game offer valuable insights that resonate far beyond the realm of sports. His strategies, adaptability, and leadership qualities can be applied to various
What Wayne Gretzky Teaches Executives About Strategy Read Post »
