It’s rarely the competition that beats a strategy.
More often, it’s the lack of impact inside the company.
On paper, strategies often sound brilliant.
But paper doesn’t make choices.
People do.
And when the strategy is unclear,
they can’t make the choices.
If there’s one thing that has become painfully obvious in my 18 years of consulting, it’s this one: Too often, clear communication is only an afterthought.
But just because it was clear to leadership when you were finalizing it at the retreat doesn’t mean it’s clear to the people outside of that space.
And so, too many strategies are confusing.
Written in a secret consultant language.
(Because apparently, plain English wasn’t clear enough.)
Or they’re simply so detailed that no-one knows which of the 178 slides to look at when a decision actually has to be made.
That’s why I wrote The PATH to Strategic Impact which turns one year old next week.
It still feels like the work has only just begun.
Anything you’d add to the list?
Keep lighting the path,
Michael
