What choices have you made?

Hi, I’m Hazel (Thurlow), almost universally known as ‘H’. I’m a senior Human Resources specialist - a doer and a thinker - an experienced Chief People Officer.

Welcome to my regular ‘muse’. Each month I'll drop a short 'Report' here on a topic or trend. A tidbit for you to chew on, mull over, and think about as you navigate the challenges and complexities of ‘people at work’.

#1 - February 2024.

‘Choices - there is seldom one perfect solution’

“There is seldom one perfect solution, since all alternatives have advantages and disadvantages.

Every time I think about and begin work on ‘strategy’ I think about that line written by London Business School Professor, Freek Vermeulen.

I keep Vermeulen’s November 2017 HBR article ‘Many Strategies Fail Because They’re Not Actually Strategies’ close to me - always. (link below)

A Goal isn’t a Strategy. Hope isn’t a Strategy. A Strategy can’t just be trickled down from ‘the top’. The impact and weight of a Strategy isn’t relative to the impact and weight of the PowerPoint slide deck that aims to frame it and sell it. The take up rate and traction of a Strategy doesn’t equate to the number of Town Halls scheduled and run.

Here’s my perspective on ‘strategy.’

A Strategy is about choices - coherent choices, integrated choices, clear choices. Choices about what you ‘will do’ and ‘why’, and what you ‘will not do’ and ‘why’. Where you will play - how you will win.

Choices underpinned by logic. Logic that is informed by listening to your people, your customers and market forces. Logic that is easily communicated and understood throughout your organisation.

Successful Strategy implementation turns on the communication of choices; the communication of the logic that underpins those choices; and on the changing of (people’s) habits.

That’s the big one: - changing people’s habits......

‘H, can we change people’s habits by just asking them to change?’

From my perspective and based on my experience, alas, I don’t think you can.

Change is delicate, intricate, and difficult. Change involves unlearning and relearning. Change means disruption to existing systems, structures and processes. But here’s the thing. Change, learning, and disruption, separate or together, don’t have to be bad.

Clear choices made and communicated well, along with the simple logic that underpins those choices; and change thought through and handled delicately = Successful Strategy Execution.

Many Strategies Fail Because They’re Not Actually Strategies (hbr.org)

Thanks for reading. See you in March.