What is strategy & how do you get there?

In a frenzy of swivelling chairs, the humdrum of jittery chatter was dying down. The projector was switched on and all phones were being silenced. With the perfectly synchronized simultaneous uncapping of pens, a familiar graph appeared on screen - the business projections for the next financial year. While all backs in the room instantly straightened with attention, I sank languidly in my seat; I had seen this all before. It was yet another business strategy and budget presentation in the board room.?

I am told that for weeks, the C-suite had been frantically crunching numbers amongst themselves, surveying the management to oblivion with this poll and that. ‘Strategic’ rehearsals were done and redone till we could chant the words in our sleep, prospective questions by the board were ‘strategically’ anticipated and ‘answers’ (or complicated ways to dodge them, rather) were prepared for in advance. From ‘strategically’ planned FAQs to meticulous minutes of the meeting, this was supposed to be a ‘strategy’ discussion but the only strategy involved was an attempt to make it anything but that. No, not a discussion but a performance. It was yet another performance in the board room.

Echoes in tense cabins have evolved from ‘forecast’ and ‘marginal error’ to ‘linear regression’ and ‘big data’ but the results have been the same. Bar charts to diagrams and coffee to carbonated water, through dozens of firms across all sectors, I have seen faces come, go, get promoted, and leave - all different actors on different stages but the performance remained the same. The cyclical nature of this annual exchange never ceased to chorus.?Same templates, differently colored slides - rewind, play. Different actors, different stages, same lines. This performance has been danced out ad nauseum.

Just watching the proceedings as a silent spectator; my internal monologue?evolving at every iteration; is strategy a dynamic journey, a number driven statistical process or frankly a deeply kept secret by the top management only shared on a need to know basis??The obvious chess metaphors come to mind but there were far more players than just two here… Despite outwardly having strategy be a business facing functional alignment for the whole organization, I couldn’t shake the irksome feeling it was instead a fiercely guarded manifesto never to leave the confines of the elite C-suite. But what was this elaborate charade meant to accomplish and where the actors even aware of their fallacy? Or are they convinced or their supposed earnestness?

Given the times of information availability, awareness, knowledge and hands on experience of all the employees, isn’t it absurd not to embark on involvement and group strategy formation? The only way to make the curtains fall is to value and trust talent by involving them in its formation, so as implementation becomes easy and ideological disenfranchisement doesn’t sprout. Grow the fruits of collective leadership and accountability.

Sadly, in most organizations, strategy is still a high stakes game on the battle field where we need to rely on spies and clandestine closed-door meetings; ultimately finding ourselves in a morbid game of Chinese whispers. This needs to change. Change the way you think about change and change will follow.

Should and can we finally open the door?

• Who is involved in strategy formation and why???
• Who informs and who is informed selectively on strategy??
• How much of an active choice is this - is the mechanism being questioned by those who administer it or not?

Are we going to achieve the set strategy just by involving handpicked people?or?involve the people who are supposed to implement this strategy?

• What if they have concerns as well as a better way forward contrary to the approved strategy?
• Is ‘being in the know’ a status symbol or a functional element?
• Why do we spend the entire quarter in just explaining the strategy and seeking alignment instead of accomplishing anything concrete?

With the changing business environment, real-time insights, human capital; awareness and involvement on the strategy can make a real impact on its execution.?The phrase “it is never the same river we see” has never been more pertinent! What is still unique is the ability to execute the business plan. This now more than ever can only be achieved through enhanced employee engagement on key business deliverables by structuring them in units that are inculcated alongside the leadership team; synthesizing a space for deliberation and resulting in a more efficient and informed decisions with a healthy dose of context.

(These views are my personal ones and not representative of my organisation.)

Your comments are welcome..??