I was talking to a member of my client’s team earlier today. I have been working with the client and his team to shape their company’s strategy and clarify the organisation’s key goals and strategic agenda.
In my meeting I noticed that the projects the executive team are now pulling together will not fully deliver the strategy.
Don’t get me wrong; the projects all look laudable and aren’t totally against the strategy, it’s just that they are not a bulls-eye fit. In football terms, they feel more like a half-hearted, speculative lob from the half-way line, rather than a rasping drive to the top corner!
As I probed further, I discovered that many of the proposed projects have been part of the company’s plans since before the strategy was developed. In short, they have simply been re-allocated under different headings.
I have written recently – here – that it’s a lack of commitment, rather than design, that sabotages delivery of company strategies.
Once you have set your future direction you must forget – at least for a while – the projects you are already working on. You should focus, instead, on developing the quickest, most effective route to delivering your agreed objectives and goals. Existing projects may, or may not, fit in with your new programme.
If all you do is re-package your existing set of activities, do not be surprised if you fail to achieve your ambitions.
© Stuart Cross 2010. All rights reserved.