As someone who specializes in strategy and strategy execution, I sometimes struggle to understand why some organizations find it so difficult to execute strategy. I appreciate that what I am about to say is not a good reflection on me, but I have facilitated a lot of strategy workshops over the years, and I can honestly say with hand on heart that people generally walk out of those workshops with great plans, good initiatives, clear communication messages etc etc and the very best of intentions to implement the plans that they have personally developed. But when I follow up a month or two later, nothing has progressed or at least only a very little has happened. So what has changed? How can the best intentions be quashed in a month?
And so in my desire to find the answer, I reflected on my years of running major companies before I got into the consulting business and it soon became abundantly clear to me. What changes is what I call the 'immediate reality', in other words the budget. The pressure to make the budget is the immediate reality and is far greater than the 3 - 5 year strategic plan. So people will focus on the budget and not the strategic plan. This is natural and is governed by the Law of Entrainment. As a colleague of mine was fond of saying 'the budget is the budget is the budget.' The truth is most people will slip into an 'immediate reality' mindset the moment a workshop closes if not during the coffee breaks.
Unfortunately, most companies still separate the budget and strategy processes when in fact that should be closely linked. We have got to bring them together and change current mindsets. Now imagine my colleague saying to me 'the strategy is the budget is the strategy is the budget.'
Yours in execution,
ian
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