3 Simple Steps to Improve Your Team’s Strategy Execution

Have you ever experienced a solid strategy that has fallen flat? What seemed logical and straight forward often becomes convoluted or misconstrued in execution. Solid strategy can’t withstand ineffective execution. So, what can you do?

For leaders who are deeply invested in conversations involving the strategy of the company, it seems baffling as to why teams struggle to execute seamlessly. However, for the majority of the employees further down in the organization responsible for the day-to-day execution, it’s not so clear.

As a leader, our work is forward-looking and change is inevitable. We are expected to work “on the business” not “in” the business. And because of the daily conversations we are involved in at our level, we become desensitized to the impact of the information. The consequence? We forget the importance of reminding those responsible for executing on the plan why their work matters and how it fits into the big picture. This miss on the part of leaders results in confusion, misaligned priorities and lost progress towards the strategic goals.

Here’s the good news. There is a simple approach you can take today to create the alignment you need with your team. Here’s the bad news. It may seem repetitive to you as a leader because you know why the strategy matters. Remember, this isn’t about you. It’s about your people and helping them make the connection to how what they do aligns with the broader organizational strategy and initiatives.

Use this simple approach today to create the team alignment you need:

 1.    Where We’ve Been - Reminding your team of the journey the company has been on over the last 12-24 months grounds everyone in the results and actions that have brought the team to where it is today.

2.    Where We Are Now (and Why We Can’t Stay Here) - The ‘now’ may be based on undesirable results or an incredible opportunity ahead. Either way, it’s fueled by a need to move forward towards something new and unknown that are aligned with the company’s strategic plan. Communicating why the current state isn’t where the organization needs to be is important to getting everyone on-board.

3.    Where We Are Going (and How Your Contribution Matters) - Reiterating this message must happen on a regular basis, even if you feel like a broken record. Restating the goal, why it’s important, and how that employee’s job fits into the bigger goal is critical in maintaining a connection to those responsible for executing on the plan. This is also a great time to express heartfelt gratitude for the impact this employee makes day-in and day-out.

By taking the time to walk through this process consistently, you (and your team) will experience the clarity and purpose needed to effectively execute on the strategic initiatives.

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Kim Bohr, CEO of The Innovare Group, holds an International MBA from the University of Denver and is a certified executive advisor. Kim is an author, sought-after speaker and holds an adjunct position at Seattle University where she teaches MBA and undergraduate classes on business strategy. Kim's book Successes, Failures & Lessons Learned is a 12-week guided career journal designed to be a valuable tool for companies to put into their employees' hands to foster greater ownership over their career goals through a valuable process and easy-to-apply framework. Kim has been a guest on Profit Boss,  Women Lead Radio and Heartrepreneur, and has written for Cheapism and UpJourney. Most recently, Kim was a speaker at Hubspot’s Inbound 2019 Conference in September.