Why It Can Be Difficult to Execute a Strategic Plan
Smart business leaders know that they need a solid strategic plan for their company. Polished with nice infographics and concise text, the plan reads like a well-designed instruction manual for the next best industry breakthrough. However, there are always challenges in making the plan that reads so well on paper a reality in the workplace. Why is it so difficult for the company employees to successfully execute a strategic plan? It could be that the employees don’t want to or do not feel any ownership in the planning process. How can this disconnect be remedied?
Connecting the WHAT and the HOW
Strategists love to focus on the sequential process needed to meet a specific business goal. Step 1 followed by step 2 followed by step 3, until the end result is met. However, the most effective strategists not only think of new ideas and plans, they also think about how the goal can be met using the existing talents of the available employee culture.
Those responsible for leading the employees in the execution of a strategic plan know that they need to be communicating with the strategists early in the planning process so that they can explain any challenges that may be present and could possible derail the project’s successful completion. These leaders much prefer to be involved in the planning process rather than receiving a strategic plan as a hand-off. By offering advice to the strategists, those responsible for executing the process provide relevant insights into efficiency, effectiveness, and cost-saving considerations.
If those responsible for creating the business strategies and those responsible for implementing the plan work together, there is more of a seamless connection between what needs to happen to reach final results and how things can be accomplished successfully. In other words, both strategic intent and organizational execution need to be coordinated. All involved need to communicate precisely what their role will be in the process.
It All Comes Down to Anticipation
Smart leaders understand that the success of their strategic plans relies on the culture that is delivering the results. These leaders understand how to anticipate road blocks along the way. They can spot any fissures in alignment between the culture’s and the organization’s values and goals. The leaders who are most successful understand that parts of the strategic process may require on-the-spot problem-solving for aspects that did not go as originally designed. They know how to be innovative and adaptive. Execution will always be messier than the neatly packaged sequential strategic plan. In the long run, those leaders willing to get a little dirt under their fingernails will find themselves most successful.
