Say What, Strategy?!

If I had to get a dollar for every time the word STRATEGY has been loosely used in business, I would have been a multi millionaire eons ago.

?

The word Strategy is used and abused in every part of any business and the concept itself has been misconstrued in all ways possible. Add to that of course, having heard the word used so many times as an excuse for lack of delivery or lack of accountability or simply to buy time.

?

Given all that, I decided to set the record straight and define strategy from experience.

?

If you are looking for a text book definition of strategy, please don't continue reading this article, stop and go get a Henry Mintzberg book and read it or log into the knowledge library of Strategyzer.

?

However, if you are looking for a pragmatic, tried and tested method to the madness itself, then please feel free to continue reading.

?

First of all, strategy is not rocket science. Yes, you heard that right!

?

I know many strategists and consulting firms make it sound like it's rocket science but the truth is that it's actually a simple and sensible way to:

1. Define the current state with all its strengths and weaknesses,
2. Identify a future state with all it possibilities and threats,
3. Measure the gap between those two states by clearly defining the opportunity or the aspiration, then
4. Build a flexible-enough and sustainable-enough framework of action that will move you from your current state to your future state within a defined timeline and with the maximum gain and least possible risk.

?

Strategy is never a one size fits all concept, it's designed based on the above verticals, and the solutions to bridge the gap vary based on the nature of variables in the gap between the two states of being. This right here is the mathematical or scientific part of the strategy formula which any good researcher or analyst can build and present to your board or CEO.

?

The hard part is the art of connecting the dots of all the variables, all the constants and all the possibilities, including failure, and offer solutions and scenarios that will maximize the ROI, minimize the risk and allow the business to achieve best possible results through the different circumstances or market disruptions.

?

And this right here is the crux of the problem, this art of:

1. Engineering the conditions to allow the business to win or
2. To prepare for the possibility of failure and the ability to pivot back with strength

Those two elements are crucial in the design of any winning strategy in any business.

?

Although all the above sounds scary, and many think that strategists are trying to play god, but the epitome of a challenge for any self-respecting strategist is their ability to win over other parts of business to turn all the brain work into results or operational realities. And this is where most of us fail because we usually have big egos.

?

Some people think we are oracles but the painful truth is that we, as strategists, are only human beings who are blessed with the ability to take in a huge amount of data and turn it into useful and usable information that will create reasonable actions to achieve business goals.

Don't get me wrong, there can only be one strategist or strategy team that can put their heads together to connect the dots and offer solutions, however, no strategy will work if all the other parts of the business are not respected, consulted and made a part of the process.

?

If you truly want to see your strategy come to life then you need to work with all parts of the business, all the people, and all the other egos in the room to ensure that when you connect the dots, you do so with the intention to serve the operational teams and make their life easier and smoother to achieve success for all. It will only work if it's a win-win.

?

For a committed strategist the most painful thing is to see the fruits of their brain work filed somewhere unused, while a true moment of celebration for them is when their work is adopted by the different teams to achieve the goals of the organization on a business and human level too.

?

This is my brain dump for this week. Feel free to share your thoughts with me so I can learn and evolve as we go.

?

?

?

?