A popular Chinese proverb states, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” For many companies today, one of the most pivotal steps they can take is to define a strategy for their organization. This step sets the direction, the goals and charts the course to get there.
Getting those first steps right is critical. But once you have the strategy defined, the hard work of implementing it and making it real begins. And its those steps, the execution part of the journey, that can be the most challenging and often the most complicated.
Today, we are pleased to have Jim Clark from Mass Ingenuity join us on our blog to talk about how to make the journey from strategy to execution a successful one. Jim is a passionate believer in the power of enabling enterprises throughout North America to meet their goals through effective performance management.
In our work with clients of all shapes and sizes, across numerous industries and markets, and in various evolutionary stages, we consistently see a common list of challenges, frustrations, and inefficiencies that are impediments to achieving the organization’s objectives.
In most of these cases, these challenges don’t stem from leadership-issues, but rather from the absence of structured system to manage the journey between strategy and execution.
Every organization operates in a similar ecosystem of realities made up of:
1) External impacts
2) Internal influences
3) Finite resources (people, time, and money)
What tends to happen is that one, or all, of these realities is not fully considered as companies shift from defining the strategy into implementing the strategy.
When combined, these dynamics conspire to create chaos, uncertainty, and complexities that can overwhelm our ability to manage performance particularly when the process to do so is ad-hoc or inconsistent.
The good news is that there is a better way and that the solution lies in controlling the controllable.
All organizations have a “management system” – a formal or informal way in which stuff gets done. Our experience tells us that the more robust an organization’s management system is, the greater speed at which they can implement and execute strategy.
You need a structured way to make informed decisions and take responsive action. It is imperative that we empower individuals and teams with the toolbox to solve problems, confront challenges, and pursue opportunities that will move the business forward, one step at a time.
Our framework is based on connecting Routine Work with Strategy Work and providing a mechanism to track and report on how what our clients are doing everyday helps them meet their goals.
This framework drives 7 critical behaviours which ultimately propels companies into their best future: