Strategy execution

Three pieces of advice

Expanding on the article 'Strategy is not just looking up', we are introduced to Rowena who started as a trainee technician with Orca, a contract manufacturing organization.

She was given three pieces of advice to help her, and eventually help her team, to stand out.

First. Always deliver of results. Second. Be able to present well to others. Third. Ensure that you document properly so others understand what you are trying to say. The advices given did not have to be exercises in a specific order.

Once she was promoted to senior technician to help colleagues to on-board new clients, those three pieces of advice helped her to stand out as an individual contributor. Be able to present well meant that Rowena was able to speak confidently with clients during the onboarding process. Proper documentation meant that the terms and conditions of the agreement were clearly set in place and understood. These then allow her to deliver on the results needed.

Translate strategy into actions

Doing this meant that she was able to strategically understand the client business, their industry and what they were trying to achieve, then take the necessary actions to communicate and deliver on the results.

Once Rowena understood the strategy, she could translated them into action that could deliver results; something she could competently do on her own as an individual contributor. A challenge is to in translating those actions into a form that her team would understand1.

Strategy involves looking down at the necessary actions needed to deliver those results. That meant knowing the team well to understand their abilities is also part of developing that strategic translation outlook.

Even asking Leon, her team member to leave, was a necessary part of the action needed.

The ability to translate strategy into action and communicate well is part of a strategy continuum that a leader is part of. We see this strategy continuum in action with another first time leader.

Strategy continuum

12 months into his role and with a number of consulting projects under his belt, one day the partner who was leading the project pulled him aside and told him that since Korun was a fast learner and knew a lot about the current project, that he was going to be leading the project going forward2.

The partner said he was going on to another project and had informed the client that Korun was now going to be the project leader. A fresh graduate, an analyst, would replace the partner, and along with two other team members current in the project; all would report directly to Korun.

Surprised, then keep moving

Korun was a bit surprised, however he took it in his stride. He met with the client and informed him that he had sufficient expertise and would be able to bring the project to a successful conclusion.

The client, Zander, in his mid-forties, and was a bit surprised at the sudden turn of events at having a young consultant lead a project that he had approved. Nonetheless, Zander trusted the reputation of McConnor and Associates and went ahead anyway.

Korun knew how to run the project and after spending some time to understand Zander's needs, he took the time and effort to get inputs from his team of three analyst, so that he could effectively disseminated roles and responsibilities to them.

To Korun, being able to understand that strategy is not simply just communicating ideas and translated them into action, it also meant ensuring the strategy is sound in the first place3.

Not accepting strategy as is

There was a particular client meeting where he had his entire team present along with Zander's management team, most were older than him by quite a few years. At one point during the meeting, opinions were sought after and none was given. So Korun raised his hand and gave a different view, to which the presenter, a management team member, asked who he was.

Konan explained that he was hired by Zander. His question was not meant to disrespect the presenter, but to understand how the information presented fits into the wider strategic outlook as his job was to translate them into action for his team.

 Korun left that meeting understanding that translating strategy into action also involved managing stakeholders within his ecosystem. Strategy is really not just in case of looking up. It also involved artful use of communication?.

Exercise

As a leader are you mindful that translating strategy into action requires successful managing of your stakeholder ecosystem?

References

1 – Rahman, M. H., Dey, T., & Al-Amin, M. (2019). Relationship between Organizational Strategy and Leadership Style in Performance Efficiency. Asian Business Review, Vol. 9, Iss. 1, pp. 17-22

2 – Parmain Ole Narikae, Juliana M. Namada, and Paul Katuse, (2017), The role organizational leadership plays in strategy implementation, American Journal of Leadership and Governance, Vol. 1, Iss. 1

3 – Alex Lowy, (2015) "The six dilemmas of strategy execution", Strategy & Leadership, Vol. 43 Issue: 6, pp.18-24

4 – Auvinen, T. et al. (2019) ‘Evolution of strategy narration and leadership work in the digital era’, Leadership, Vol. 15, Iss. 2, pp. 205–225