In this issue >> A note from Rand
>> Feature Article: Strategy - The Seven Big Questions
>> Additional Thoughts
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Note from Rand
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Welcome to the first online issue of Performance Digest – a monthly publication to help you develop and cultivate fresh insights into contemporary leadership and management thinking. During the upcoming months, I’ll share relevant experiences and observations gleaned from my many years as a CEO/COO, chief marketing and sales officer of a Fortune 100 company, Big 6 (now 5, or 4, or 3) strategy consultant, and (currently) as head of my own executive coaching and consulting firm. I’ll also distill some of the thinking of other leading executives, academics, authors, consultants and coaches on a wide range of subjects, including strategy creation and execution, executive team leadership, value creation, balancing empowerment and control, organizational and personal transformation, managing organizational and personal performance, and judgment and objectivity.
I welcome your questions and comments on an ongoing basis. At some point, I’ll probably include a guest commentary section for your feedback.
You are on the distribution list for this initial issue for one or more of the following reasons: you are a client or friend; your lofty organizational perch; or you have requested inclusion on the initial distribution. I’m asking a favor of you: Please share your copy with others who you think might benefit from reading it. Directions for managing your own subscription are included at the publication’s conclusion.
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Feature Article: Strategy - The Seven Big Questions
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Strategy is an approach to managerial leadership – both a state of mind and a bias for relevant action. It’s not merely a process to create plans. The days are gone during which attention to strategy could be episodic. At one time, even strongly managed and adroitly led organizations created strategic plans once every three (or even five) years. Those were then placed in a binder, filed in a credenza and reviewed infrequently. As a matter of fact and in days of yore, plan creation often took a back seat at strategic planning retreats to golf. That’s no longer the case – or shouldn’t be.
Many “experts” recommend that executives view strategy as a series of discreet steps to be completed. You know – mission, situation analysis, objectives, . . . etc., etc., etc. You get the idea. I believe that a more meaningful way to think about strategy is as a series of questions that have to be answered – not only on sheets of paper and by the CEO – but in the hearts and minds of all of the people in the organization. The degree to which all of the organization’s constituents concur on the answers, the greater the likelihood of successful implementation, and the better the organization’s prospects. That’s why I prefer the notion of strategic leadership to strategic planning. The latter implies a task to complete. The former implies the continuous pursuit of value.
OK – a drum roll please!!!
The seven questions:
• Who are we?
• Where are we today?
• Who and where do we want to be?
• By when?
• How will we get there?
• Who is going to do what, and by when?
• How are we doing, and what are we going to do about it?
I realize that I’ve distilled some rather complex issues into a simplistic list of questions. I understand that crafting strategy is a detailed analytical process requiring 2x2 box matrices and mountains of research - and yes – for every one of these seven questions, you'll have more precise, finite, additional questions.
Think about it, though. If identical answers to these questions were rattling around inside the heads of every person in your company, how would that affect performance? Many laborious meetings could be replaced by relevant, individual initiative – what a concept!
We help organizational leaders attend to the present and plan for the future. Working with individual leaders and leadership teams, we propel organizations forward. To that end, we’d love to hear from you! Just give us a call (301-482-2345), send us an email or visit our Web site to learn more.
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Additional Thoughts
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John Goddard turns 75 years old this year. Big deal, you say! A lot of people turn 75 this year. That’s true, but how many people pack 250 years of living into 75 years?!
John Goddard is an explorer, a raconteur, and a man of the world in the very best and broadest sense. At the age of 15, he wrote down 127 daydreams. They were things he hoped to do before he died. By the time he was 47, he had reached 103 of his goals. These included things like:
• Climbing 16 of the tallest peaks in the world
• Becoming proficient in the use of a plane, motorcycle, tractor, surfboard, rifle, pistol, canoe, microscope, football, basketball, bow and arrow, lariat and boomerang.
• Circumnavigating the globe
• Shipping aboard a freighter as a seaman
• Watching a cremation ceremony in Bali
The rest of Goddard’s aspirations were no less lofty or diverse. Here’s my point:
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
Many (or most) people sleepwalk through life or ricochet from one experience to the next without intention. Per Thoreau: “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” When you look in the mirror, is the reflection one of a person who has led the life of her dreams, or one of a person who has “settled” for something less? Have rationalizations replaced aspirations?
As a part of our practice, we work with people to align their aspirations and actions – to make sure that life does not happen accidentally. Life wasn’t intended to be a spectator sport! Call us!
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About Rand Golletz
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Rand Golletz is a executive coach and consultant. With more than 25 years in leadership roles, including CEO, chief marketing officer of a Fortune 100 company and international strategy consultant, Rand brings an unparalleled level of business expertise to his profession.
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