Do you know that feeling? That something needs to change but you don't know how to go about it? You are not alone. Every day, Summiteers helps entrepreneurs who struggle with the complexity of change. The new direction has been determined, but what next? In conversation with Paul van Bekkum and Dolf L'Ortye, founders of Summiteers, we zoom in on what we call strategy execution.

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How beats what

Dolf: “In the consultancy industry, the focus is often on what things have to change. And that's where the advice stops. A sketch of the point on the horizon, the top of the mountain. But then you often leave an organization in a complete state of “and what now”. Directors and managers understand how to run a daily business, but are often in the dark when it comes to making change happen. That is a profession. And that's where we see things going wrong on a regular basis.”

This is because the how is much more complex than the what. How beats what, so. Why this implementation is so complex lies in the desire for change. Paul: “We regularly see a mismatch between the strategy on paper and the execution power of the organization that needs to execute it. When we provide strategy advice, we provide a strategy that is rooted in the current organization. Taking into account the people, competences and resources that you currently have at your disposal. When we are working on implementing an existing strategy, step one is often making the link with the current organization. What is the 'fit' and what is the 'gap' and how can you fill those gaps?”

Strategy execution is ultimately about the question: How do you get the idea in your head to become a reality?

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Asking questions and listening

Whatever the request for help, we always start by asking questions and listening. What is going on? What does the client run into? What plans are already in place and how concrete are they? What future does the organization have in mind? What do employees want and can do themselves and what do they need our help with?

This piece is essential throughout the process. Paul: “By talking to a lot of people, we also immediately create support among the employees who will do the work soon. Your powerpoint can still be so good, but people persevere not that. It's better to come up with a way for people to come to solutions together. Because only when employees firmly support a plan and understand it, you create support and that actually leads to change.”

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Personal development

From the intake, we observe how a team works together as professionals and how the individuals behave. In a classic management consulting model, you often see a focus on content, on the puzzle, the analysis and there is a process, a schedule that moves from A to B. That is also important. But apart from that content and the process, there is also behavior. Dolf: “People show both effective and ineffective behavior in change processes. By means of coaching techniques, we can clarify that behavior and help employees and teams become more effective.

Personal development is part of those conversations. By asking about what concerns people and what behavior they want to show, you create engagement. I notice that by having substantive conversations and giving sincere attention, you can make a team much more motivated. In addition to helping the organization move forward, we also provide employees with valuable insights and advice on a personal level, about behavior. The knife then cuts changeably on both sides.”

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Making choices

Another important condition for the execution to be successful is making sharp choices. Paul: “It's different whether you're going to do two or five things. This is because you have a limited number of employees and time at your disposal. It is precisely by making well-considered choices prior to the process that you increase the chances of success and keep up the pace.” Dolf: “If something goes wrong, it can often be traced back to this moment. Don't choose. Then, along the way, complexity and chaos arise. It's simply too much.”

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Letting go

When was a project completed successfully, and can you say that the implementation was successful? Paul: “Part of the success lies in being able to let go when a process ends. If we leave the building with confidence because the organization itself implements their strategy, then it has succeeded for me. I also think it's really cool that we are being trusted to be allowed to do it at all. help.” Dolf: “By constantly monitoring how things are going, you know when the time has come to hand over. When I see that people are starting to act in the intended roles and also want to take responsibility, then you can distance yourself. I love that moment. Because then something changes. And that's what we do it all for.”

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Need help with strategy and execution?

We create movement, make something complex understandable, something big manageable, a (vague) idea concrete and make something difficult succeed. Can you use help with this? Take contact with us.