In a previous blog Dolf L'Ortye, one of the founders of Summiteers, explained why a good strategy should be implementable. He also explained what two scenarios there are when you get started with strategy development. Scenario 1: Get the whole process right from the start. Scenario 2: recover from the bad start you've already made. In this blog, he zooms in on the second scenario.

‍

Recovering from a bad start

What we regularly see with organizations is that there is already a plan. Sometimes it's still in people's heads, sometimes it's on paper. Be that as it may, management thinks it is a clear plan. Often (a lot of) time and money has already been invested in it. It's a matter of implementation and you're done. Right? You often see (a combination of) two cases here. In terms of content, the plan is (still far) not sharp enough. And/or the plan is sharp in terms of content, but it lacks how and therefore how to behave and has not yet been tested or has only been tested to a very limited extent against the organization (execution power, risks, etc.).

‍

Not sharp enough

If there is already a plan, it often becomes clear during an initial meeting with the customer that things are so vaguely worded that countless interpretations are possible. There is space, there is no choice. It's up to us to then, together with management and the organization's employees, to further concretize the plan and provide clarity: what exactly do we mean here and, more importantly, how are we going to put this into practice? So this starts with a good conversation with the client about “that the plan is not clear enough yet”. Of course, we combine that with a proposal on how we will tackle it jointly with the organization from now on. Let's do it right this time round!

‍

Very sharp, no how

If there is a detailed plan, it often only includes the “what”. So a sharp description of the end point. These plans are often (co-) written by a consulting firm. And, yes, really, it still happens, in no way in co-production with the commissioning organization. In splendid isolation 😊. The plan looks great at first glance, is bursting with analysis and describes in detail what the top of the mountain looks like where the company should go. But unfortunately, unfortunately, not one word left in any of the 300+ slides how you reach that beautiful top.

‍

This way you'll never get to the top

Don't get me wrong, the description of that top is certainly valuable. After all, it's essential to start with a sharp goal. But in the end, you have to get to that top. Just looking at it leads to nothing. So you have to think about how to get to that top. Which projects need to be started? Who is going to do what? What impact does this have on the departments? How painful when it turns out that the plan completely does not take into account the execution force of the organization. What happens if the organization doesn't have the guides, explorers and mountaineers needed to the trip to the top to make? Then it will be a tough trip. There you are, with your ambitious plan at the bottom of a majestic mountain, but no thought has been given to the path to the top. This is often frustrating for a customer. Have we spent so much time and money only to discover that we are just getting started? And, even worse, that the dialogue about how to climb that mountain is likely to lead to an adjustment of the summit to be reached itself?

‍

What to do then?

The plan that is in place does make sense in terms of content. There's just not a word about how in. Directly to implementation is therefore not an option. Then it is important to take the step to the how question and accept that this may have consequences for the plan that is already there. This is a very conscious intermediate step. It often takes one or more conversations with the client to get this point across the stage. Of course, it takes some time to swallow that after that costly process with that consultancy firm, there is only a nice presentation that cannot be implemented immediately. So get to work. Gather key players, ensure that the dialogue starts in a structured way. Do we all understand what's here? What do we think about this? What impact does this plan have on the various departments? How do we get this implemented? What discussion does that result in? What are the consequences for this plan? How does this plan relate to other processes that are already underway? Iterate and deepen until we do have a plan that also includes the how. This immediately creates understanding and therefore support. And you really need that to get anywhere at all.

‍

Tip: Avoid expensive revisions

An effective strategic plan includes not only a description of what needs to change, but also how to do it. If that's not in it, it's not a plan, just a piece of paper. When you include the “how” directly into the process, you prevent later revisions and ensure that the plan can actually be implemented. Don't kid yourself: you hire consultants for a reason, so if possible, also go directly for a plan that also discusses the how question and that has been drawn up with your people. It is counterproductive to first make a plan in splendid isolation and only then to think about implementation. This leads to noise, discussions and confusion. Then you have a wonderful vision, but if the conversation about implementation raises resistance, you will get nowhere. And certainly not on that beautiful top you've been dreaming of for so long...

‍

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.