Put Your Strategy into Drive

Several weeks ago I posted an article entitled “Is Your Strategy Stuck in Park” (http://bit.ly/QAXEDG) in which I discussed how organizations end up with a perfectly viable strategy they can’t seem to get in gear.  In this article, I offer some steps to move beyond park and get your strategy into action.  Executives often lament the fact that they simply can’t seem to ignite their workforce around the company’s plan and therefore don’t get the lift they seek even with a strategy that should deliver great results.  What can you do then to get moving?

The first thing to keep in mind is that what you might believe is a clear and compelling strategy is probably less understood by the front line than you might assume.  Employees deeply involved in the conduct of business don’t quickly and easily identify with the language often used to describe strategy.  Therefore, the first thing to recognize is the need to ‘localize’ the strategy to the work.  For instance, if your strategy depends upon a change in how certain tasks are accomplished, connect that change with the strategy in straight-forward terms: we are modifying our production process to increase throughput in order to grow capacity so we can increase revenue and expand.  Employees need to understand how the company’s strategy passes the WIIFM test (what’s in it for me).  Without this context, employees won’t care nearly as much.  The stronger the WIIFM case, the more likely acceleration will occur and employees will develop a sense of urgency.

Second, consider summarizing your strategy in the form of a compelling challenge or question.  Most people are inherently competitive and throwing down the gauntlet (so to speak) can get them emotionally engaged in the desired outcome.  I have found that structuring the heart or essence of your strategy in the form of challenge enables people to align themselves and focus.  For example: how do we become the most efficient supplier of (name your product or service) that our customers can’t resist?  The key words in this challenge could be ‘efficient’ (to describe production improvements) and ‘customers can’t resist’ (which could be used to inspire changes in customer service).  Regardless of how you describe your strategy, you have to find a way to tap into the emotional power of your employees if you hope to get traction.

Third, involve employees in your strategy development.  This may be counter-cultural for many companies where strategy has been the exclusive domain of top leadership, but your employees are the active sensors in the marketplace especially those in customer or supplier facing roles.  In larger organizations, it may be impractical to engage everyone, so consider using a diverse slice of roles, levels, and experience in small work groups.  Take their input into consideration and look for intersections where the strategic intent of the executive team connects with employees.  These can serve as leverage points where you can move the strategy into action more quickly.  You might also consider internal crowdsourcing as a means of soliciting input.  Regardless of what method you use, you will likely get insight you wouldn’t otherwise have access to and you will find clues into how to improve the way you talk about strategy – again, get to the WIIFM answer.

Lastly, be consistent.  You can’t expect great results if the strategy keeps shifting or you don’t stay engaged with people.  This is particularly true if your strategy calls for significant change.  If employees perceive or conclude that you were just interested in sucking information from them only to discard it later, they’ll stop participating (and supporting) the organization.  This is where apathy creeps in and the results can actually decelerate or even reverse the trajectory.  If you aren’t committed to employee engagement in strategy as a value, then you’re better off not even trying.  In addition, you have to remain consistent in your communication.  Don’t change the message frequently or you end up with confusion.  It’s perfectly fine to adjust how you communicate as long as the message itself remains relatively stable.

Getting your company’s strategy into drive requires patience, persistence, and a commitment to sustaining the course.  Certainly strategy changes over time and requires regular adjustment – everyone understands that.  Markets change, customers demand more, and competitors disrupt.  That’s the nature of business and no one expects it to remain the same over time.  However, once you begin building momentum, it’s much easier to make adjustments.  Remember, you can’t steer a parked car and you won’t get strategic action if you’re stuck in park!

Connect2Action is a strategy execution specialist aligning the front office and front line to improve performance and accelerate growth.  They focus on moving beyond simple communication into action by connecting leaders to organizational habit levers that can increase momentum and revenue through employee ignition.

Duane Grove is founder of Connect2Action, a strategy execution specialist at the intersection of employee engagement and executive leadership, igniting innovation as a lever to accelerate your growth.  Follow Duane on Twitter @connect2action and connect with him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google+.  Learn more by visiting www.connect2action.com.