There are a lot of great (and no so great might we add) opinions out there on the topic of strategy and related matters. We happen to have a few opinions of our own as well and will every now and then happily share those with you.
The Islands Trust Strategic Plan
Introduction and high-level objectives
Detailed overview of objectives, activities and success measures
- OBJECTIVE
- STRATEGIES
- POTENTIAL ACTIVITIES AND PHASES
- WHO WOULD WORK ON IT?
- IS FUNDING REQUIRED OR IN PLACE?
- HOW WOULD WE MEASURE SUCCESS?
- STATUS (Italics indicate status change since last TC meeting)
Strategic Planning Process Diagram (2012-2013)
In conclusion
- Concise well written
- Use of active words
- Use a measures
- Lack of benefit statement (the why)
- Use of non-specific measures
- No link with previous plan (only as reference document on web-page)
Going undercover to uncover?
We all know that an integral part of the strategic planning and realization process is having/getting a good understanding of what's going on in the organization.
As we also know there are multiple ways of doing that.
In 2009 a new TV-series called "undercover Boss" was introduced that gives a whole new meaning to the term fact finding. Basically it shows an executive going undercover as a worker for a week in her/his own company. Usually there are big eye opening moments and at the end of the week the executive sheds the disguise and shares her/his lessons-learned with his executive team and the employees she/he worked with during the week.
What do you think of going undercover to uncover? Please let us and the growing number of readers of this know what you think by casting your vote on the right.
{jcomments on}You can leave a comment below.
Why have a strategy in the first place?
Why indeed?
Because whether you like it or not, you have one. Some may argue that:
"In a world where change is the only constant having a strategy is a necessity"
I would rephrase that by:
"In a world where change is the only constant all organizations have a strategy"
The question is not whether you should have a strategy but rather whether you know your strategy and are in control of it.
And those are the two big strategy questions:
1 Do you know your strategy?
2 Are you in control of your strategy?
If you are able to say yes to both that's great. In that case you could stop reading here. Please don't though! We would really like to hear from you how you do that. Use the comment section below to share your approach with the other readers.
If you can't answer both questions or maybe only question 1 let's see if we can give you some insight in how to get to two yesses. By the way, saying yes to question 2 implies by definition saying yes to question 1 as well.
{jcomments on}
Next time I will address the first question: Do you know your strategy?
I will tell you how to find out, even if you have never done any strategic planning at all, how to still determine what your current - yet implicit - strategy is.
I will give you some ideas how to establish a strategy.
Once that is done the real fun stuff begins (and it never ends!), getting and staying in control of your strategy.
Man with a plan
Let's look at two recent quotes we found in the media:
"Here's the screw up: You made a promise that you'd deliver this and you missed three weeks later,"
"You've got to believe in Dave. Dave has a plan. Dave knows. You've got to believe in the plan."
The first one was recently made by Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric. The second one was made over a year ago by Francesco Aquilini, owner of the National Hockey team the Vancouver Canucks, during an informal conversation with the newspaper The Vancouver Sun.
What makes these remarks so interesting is the current context in which we can reflect on them.
First of all, a few days ago Aqulini fired th man he referred to in his comment, Dave Nonis. Apparently he did not believe in the plan anymore. Aqulini said that the reason for firing Nonis was that the team had missed the playoffs.
Secondly, GE had just reported an unexpeted loss. About a month ago Welch's successor had actualy told the world that GE would hit its mark.