In this blog, Dolf L'Ortye, co-founder of Summiteers, explains what he loves about strategy execution. As Summiteers, we help organizations that struggle with the complexity of change.

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Making dreams come true

There are several aspects that made me choose this profession. First of all, I really like helping people achieve their ambitions. Our customers have a vision, they want something new or different and they want to achieve that. We help them make that happen. This goes far beyond creating a strategy. Like me wrote before, a strategy without the actual execution is nothing more than a piece of paper. Trust me, just putting something on paper doesn't change anything at all. I only get satisfaction from my work when I can help people achieve their professional goals, to make dreams come true.

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The magic of the profession

Of course, you can help people in various ways. The great thing about working from an advisory role is the direct contact with people. I want to understand what drives people, why they do what they do. At the same time, I attach great importance to achieving concrete results. We can all talk a little bit, but it's about making it tangible. Getting things moving, making something happen is in my nature and I think that's the magic of the profession. When you work with people, there is always some form of energy. If you can let that energy flow through conversations, interventions and workshops, for example, something wonderful is created. That moment when everything seems to fall into place and things start moving is always a special moment for me. You then see what people are capable of when they want something together.

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From a stack of puzzle pieces to structure

Change generally doesn't come out of the blue. There is often a team that has been making plans and figuring out what to do for a while. If that doesn't lead to the desired results, they call us in. First, together with the team, we look at what has already happened and what challenges the team has encountered. People are usually stuck because any form of structure is missing. Where on earth to begin? I like to compare it to laying a puzzle. At first, you have a huge stack of puzzle pieces in front of you and you think: what should I do with this? But once you have found the corners, something will change. Then you start to push the envelope and suddenly there is structure and you start to trust that you can put the puzzle together. The ball starts rolling.

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Together and with clear roles

We often have to deal with what we call “fuzzy problems”. Sometimes people are so close to their own problems that they no longer have a clear picture. Logical, because their puzzle rarely has four corners, much more often eight or maybe only three. Then the challenge is to find out where the real problem lies. We do not do this alone, but in close cooperation with the team. This often contains important content knowledge and contextual knowledge. Our strength lies in structuring these complex situations and offering a meta-perspective. We help you take a step back, find structure and see a clear path forward. If you've ever put a puzzle together, you know how it works. Once you have found the nooks and crannies, you suddenly see puzzle pieces with clouds and pieces of grass. At that moment, you can start working on a puzzle with more people, because a structure is created. The roles become clear: one collects the pieces of air and passes them on to the next person, who then puzzles them together. Our role is to ensure that the process runs smoothly: that there is no sand in the wheels and that no one accidentally disrupts things. And that's how we help you complete that puzzle. The energy will flow.

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compliment

I find nothing more inspiring than helping people develop. You start a process together and eventually we — in consultation with the customer — get away from it, which you can go on your own. But I'm still in touch with a lot of people I've worked with. Last week, for example, I had an inspiring conversation with someone I did a major assignment with eight years ago. She told me how much she had learned from working together, from laying that puzzle, from working together — with her team. For me, there is no greater compliment than that.

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From concept to implementation

That brings me back to the original question: what's so cool about strategy execution? With strategy development alone, you will never achieve the same effects. You are then much less enraged by daily changes. That's where the real complexity lies. Of course, making a strategy is part of it, after all, you need a sharp goal have in mind, a description of the top you want to go to. But how do you get to that top? Walking that path is part of really wanting to change, and that's what makes it so cool. That conceptual thinking is wonderful and I love doing it, but gradually our role changes and we become involved in implementation. Then it's about working with people to put the concept into practice. Delivering results that an organization can move forward with. I really love that combination.

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Making an impact

Fortunately, I am not the only one who is happy about this. We all share that passion at Summiteers. We don't just want to develop a strategy, talk, lay down a plan and leave, without any clue what the organization will do with it. Well, actually, we know it: such a plan ends up in a drawer nine times out of ten and changes nothing. People who enjoy making an impact work here. That's strategy execution: making an impact. If you love making an impact, this is a great job!

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Need help with strategy and execution?

We are Summiteers, we create movement, make something that is complex understandable again, something big achievable, a - vague - idea concrete and make something difficult succeed. Can you use help with this? Take contact with us.

Interested, but not ready for the trip yet? Follow our LinkedIn page and get inspired.

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