Remember those 2006 strategic planning sessions you held at the end of last year? Good news! Your plans have been approved. As Captain Picard would say, "Make it so, Number 1."
The implications and ramifications of such words at the start of the year either imbues us with energy or makes us feel like heaving up our breakfast. Unfortunately, it would appear that the odds are against us. Various studies conclude that most strategic plans are not fulfilled. Universally, they point to one glaring failure: Execution.
Field Marshall Helmuth Karl Bernhard von Moltke said, "No battle plan survives contact with the enemy." As if having to fight our competitors wasn't bad enough, we are often our own worst enemy when it comes to executing our own plans. We rely on poor data, we pursue irrelevant metrics, we refuse to relinquish legacy business activities or processes that are no longer meaningful, we change strategies without sufficient time or analysis, the list goes on.
Incidentally, Von Moltke's plan for the opening maneuvers of World War I was left to his nephew Helmuth Johann Ludwig von Moltke. The younger Von Moltke's critics charge that the plan was improperly executed, leading to the stalemate that bled the continent white for four years. Be thankful at least that we don't usually have the fate of millions in our hands. And if you do, write to let me know!
How do we ensure we properly execute our strategic plans? Attend management consultant Paul Niven's webcast Managing Strategy with the Balanced Scorecard: How to Convert Strategic Planning into Action. For a quick look at the topic, read the following articles before attending the webcast:
So don't neglect execution. Strategic planning may be glitzy and glamorous, but execution, like Cinderella, keeps the household running. You'll be thankful for execution at the end of the year as you recap your organization's accomplishments. Just be sure to get home before midnight.
Sam Sheikh
Editor
sams@bettermanagement.com
