As a result of my three sons loving the sport, I’ve recently revived my sporadic interest in golf. This time I’ve decided to get some lessons so that I’m finally able to swing the club in something like an organised way.
I’ve had three lessons so far and the improvement has been huge. The biggest issue that I still need to work on is my follow-through. Joe, my coach, wants me to shift my weight better to drive the ball forward – in a straight line!
Follow-through is critical in most sports – just think of Serena Williams’s forehand, Muhammad Ali’s right hook, or Cristiano Ronaldo’s free-kicks. It increases the contact time with the ball – or opponent! – boosting velocity and distance, as well as improving direction.
Follow-through is equally important to strategy success. So many executives and business leaders spend significant time and effort developing a strategy for growth, but then struggle to see their ideas turn into results.
The problem is that they don’t follow-through effectively. Resources aren’t suitably re-allocated; new initiatives aren’t fully resourced or properly organised; KPIs and bonuses aren’t re-set to drive the required performance, and management and governance processes aren’t put in place to establish the accountability to deliver.
How could your business improve its follow-through, so that you can drive your strategy straight down the middle?
Off The Record: Straight Down The Middle by Bing Crosby
Straight down the middle
It went straight down the middle
Then it started to hook just a wee, wee bit
That’s when my caddie lost sight of it
That little white pellet has never been found to this day
But it went straight down the middle, like they say
Written by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen
Getting Your Innovation Strategy Right
Business leaders are constantly exhorted to innovate. But what kind of innovation should managers pursue? The Innovation Strategy Matrix helps you to answer that question and get your innovation strategy right.
