Avoiding Execution Pitfalls: The Strategy Review
By Michael Wilkinson
Managing Director, Leadership Strategies
In a previous newsletter article, we defined four primary pitfalls to strategy execution. The Urgency Principle - In most organizations, it is easy to focus on responding to what's clamoring for our attention (urgent but not necessarily important)). As a result the strategic plan (important but not urgent), takes a back seat to responding to the needs of the moment.
Lack of Alignment - Too many organizations try to implement a strategy without a) aligning the organization to achieve it or b) restructuring the reward systems to support it. Like a car that is out of alignment, until correction is made to the underlying problem, the organization will naturally flow off course.
Lack of Accountability - When people are asked to give an account for their actions, or lack thereof, and when there are positive or negative consequences related to their results, a stronger focus on execution is typically the result.
Infrequent Review - Management gurus learned long ago: that which is measured, improves. Unfortunately, all too often, we don't go back to the plan until it's time for the update, 12 months later. When a lack of review gets combined with the urgency principle, it is easy to see how strategies ripe for execution can die on the vine due to lack of attention.
Addressing the Infrequent Review Pitfall...
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