Strategy - something for someone else to worry about ?

Strategic vision, strategic planning, enterprise strategy, corporate strategy, strategic partnerships and so on... Search the word strategy on the internet and you will come up with thousands of posts, articles, books and views. We are told it is important and we know it can make something sound far more important – A strategic plan sounds far more impressive than just a plan, however what is strategy and how important is it to an organisation? If I was asked to define strategy in its simplest form, it would be “strategy outlines how you will get from A to B or how you will get to where you want to be”. In the context of an organisation, a vision is where you want to go, a strategy details how you will get there and the tactical plan is how you will actually deliver on the strategy. I tend to find that the moment of confusion comes when the tactics and plans are confused with strategy (see my note regarding a strategic plan above – should it in fact be just called a plan?) Without looking for an answer because there will be many views - see how confusing this can be? To the second point of how important strategy is… The answer is VERY Important. What I don’t want to do by simplifying is to downplay how critical this is. If an organisation does not have a strategy then how do they know how to achieve their business vision? With no strategy, the vision becomes a hope with dis-organised guess work along the way. So this is an area you must focus on – essentially it enables you to understand the focus of your organisation, what that means for you, how your role intersects and what opportunities you may have ahead. Gaining an understanding early will make it so much easier as you progress your career. You may have studied and have a strong theoretical understanding of the topic which is great however you must be able to translate this knowledge practically within your business, so spend the time to really understand. The dialogue in your organisation might be complex with strategy and strategic used constantly by everyone – that’s ok and don’t get caught up in “is the use of the word correct or not” - just know how to cut through to the basics and intention so that you can think and dissect with clarity. I shall post reference to publications and articles to read and some practical theoretical approaches you should understand shortly, however in the interim a few keys things I suggest you do;

1. Obtain and understand a copy of your organisation’s Vision, mission and strategy and be able to articulate the key areas of business focus. Don’t be afraid to ask questions to really understand it. Would you be able to answer the CEO if he/she was riding the lift with you and asked you how you felt about the organisation’s strategy? This is a horrifying thought I know, however in a world of connectivity and networked workplaces – it may happen – be ready for it. Worst case (or best case if you are unprepared) is you don’t get asked. Irrespective of whether asked the question or not, how empowering to be really clear about the focus of the organisation you work for and the role you play? 2. Try and find out the thinking behind the strategy – what does it mean? Is it changing the direction of the core business and venturing into new areas? Is it responding to a changing customer or global conditions? 3. Can you find some time with a senior person in the strategy team who can talk you through how the strategy was arrived at? What sits behind the thinking? What is their process? Is there an opportunity to continue this conversation or be involved in some way during the development process? This would be a great practical development piece if you can. 4. Ask yourself - how does your role, your Manager's and other’s around you, influence the success of this strategy? (Remember every single role has an impact on the organisation delivering on the strategy and achieving its vision.) NB. If you are working in a smaller organisation there may not be a published vision and strategy, however your CEO will have a vision and he/she will have a strategy. Your approach to understanding will be different to that of a large organisation, so the suggestions above will not be as relevant however in a smaller organisation, the impact you as an individual can have, is likely even greater. Remember also these are important skills for you and your long term career. As your career develops, you will be included in some way in either developing the strategy or bringing it to life - connecting your team to the why they come to work every day is one of the most important things you will do in your career. You can’t do this effectively if you don’t understand the how, what and why. If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough – Albert Einstein

We will spend a bit of time on this topic along the way.

Until next time

Lisa