A few weeks ago I shared my first 50 strategy tweets with you. Here are the next 25. You can follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/stuart_cross
- Identify the major disagreements of your team. Resolve them, don’t hide from them.
- Meet more regularly to drive your big ideas forward. Amazon’s leadership team meets weekly, for example.
- Respond to all investment requests by saying, “And how will this help us achieve our vision?”
- When are you really at your best? Understanding what drives your success helps you better exploit it.
- Make your planning future-back. To hit your 3-year goals, what must you do in 2 years, 12 months, 90 days?
- Just because you’re the boss doesn’t mean you’re right. How much time do you spend listening vs. telling?
- Selectively prune in the good times and selectively invest in the bad to avoid a ‘boom and bust’ strategy.
- Exploit successful rule breaking. Where are your teams winning by ignoring the rulebook?
- Experiment, experiment. Version #1 is bound to be wrong, so get it over with and get onto version #2, #3 and #4.
- Take time to dream. Many breakthrough ideas came during some downtime. Look at Archimedes and Newton.
- The risk with plans and targets –you might hit them. What could you achieve with a more flexible approach?
- What preventative and contingent actions have you set to reduce the risk of your strategy?
- Continue to raise the bar for your business by having goals that sit above your immediate targets.
- Build on your strengths. Too many companies focus on correcting weaknesses, not exploiting their advantages.
- Yes, you want to drive profits, but does your strategy explain how you improve the lives of your customers?
- First decide on your objectives, then the best route to get there. We often mix and confuse these decisions.
- Can your front-line colleagues articulate your strategy? If not, how can they make good decisions?
- If you’re clear on where your going you can usually find a way to get there. What’s your #1 objective?
- Separate objectives from tactics. Be fixed on the vision but flexible on the route.
- The #1 business success factor is agility. How quickly and how well can you exploit new opportunities?
- Tesco’s had the same 4 strategic goals for 10 years plus. What are the consistent themes of your strategy?
- What split of your time is spent on external vs. internal issues? New growth is out there, not in here.
- Are your managers clear on their decision rights, or is everyone stepping on each other’s toes?
- For every decision you make, are you clear about how it will move your business towards its strategic goals?
- Are there hidden capabilities in your organisation that could take you into new market opportunities?
© Stuart Cross 2010. All rights reserved.