Action! Pushing Strategy Down the Ranks – Leadership Insights from Liddell Consulting

You most likely have a strategic business plan in place in some form. How far down the chain is that plan being acted upon?

Developing a plan that all partners and senior management can get behind can be a challenge in-and of itself. Many companies are missing an essential component – the “action.” Leaders must gain buy-in at all levels of the organization to bring their vision to fruition.

“Execution is the ability to mesh strategy with reality, align people with goals, and achieve the promised results.

-Larry Bossidy

Communicate

The importance of communicating strategy should be obvious – if your employees don’t know what is in your plan, they can’t make it happen, therefore you can’t make it happen. A clear, consistent, and penetrating message illustrates what your leadership team has envisioned for the future of the company and what each employee’s value is in the process. Engaged employees tend to do more than has been asked of them because they feel part of what makes your company great.

Seek Objectivity

The strategic business planning process itself can be greatly illuminating. It can flush out disassociated views and approaches, it can clarify direction, and it can result in nothing more than high level ideas. Although you know your business best, a facilitator can take your strategy to the next level by cutting through the politics and serving as a neutral voice. Consensus will make your plan more likely to be impactful.

Evaluate

Your strategic business plan will only be a success with the coordinated effort of many hands. You’ve sold your plan to all the stakeholders, now you need to operationalize it. Map your goals and include measurable success measures. Check-points that are more frequent will allow you to adjust your course instead of discovering that you completely missed the mark after the fact. It will also enable you to recognize and celebrate wins along the way.

More About Strategic Business Planning

A comprehensive strategic plan includes:

• The mission, vision and values (MVV)
• The high level initiatives that define what must be done to achieve this desired future
• A systems thinking approach that acknowledges the linkages, leverage, and dependencies between initiatives
• Validation of initiatives to relegate the lesser ones to the cutting room floor
• Who is accountable for what
• How progress will be measured
• A structure that allows seamless addition of a tactical execution plan
• A communication plan and the tools to do so

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