Asking for a Strategy
Asking for challenges and a way on how to overcome it works better than asking for a strategy
Simple Words do Better
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Probably, strategy is the most popular concept in the corporate world. We need it, we seek it, we feel it when it's not there. We can sense if something is based on strategy even if we struggle to pin it down.
Academia and business people have been looking at it for decades. So, there is plenty of resources on what a good strategy is (and what it's not). Management students do courses, aspiring leaders receive training, and consultants run workshops. How come then that many smart people wrestle with delivering a good strategy once they're asked to do so?
[ THE IMPORTANCE OF A STRATEGIC CO ]
P&G Podcast-Beispiel der strategischen Organisation - als Idealbild
In 2011, US-american economist, professor and strategy consultant Richard Rumelt published his book 'Good Strategy, Bad Strategy'. His teaching of setting apart an effective strategy from at best ambitious but devoid business bullshit had an impact on my way of tackling matters. In his words a strategy must be this:
[ WHAT DO YOU GET? ]
Rumelt says, if we as managers craft or tolerate bad strategy, our organization's ability to solve problems will ultimately fade. An organization that can not solve problems, will ultimately fade. So, asking non-managers across the organization for a strategy is important as well as asking for it to be done the right way - the good strategy way.
While I praise Rumelt and his book for the impact it had on my thinking and progress as a manager, I see a gap in his work. With his book, as well as most other resources, you will find detailed protocols on how to create, describe and evaluate good strategy. But if we shift away our focus from strategy being something top-down towards a thing that should be done bottom-up, we see how quickly responsibility shifts from putting out good strategy to hauling in good strategy. In a place where strategy is not this sacred mandate exclusive to the higher-ups but a collective effort and culture which needs to be managed, delegation is key. Having yet to see practical advice on how to actually delegate good strategy work, this piece aims to fill the spot.
Rumelt sagt es selbst: weed crowds out good strategy. Wir Manager machen Delegations-Fehler (buzzwords). Und kriegen deshalb bad strategy.
[ SOLUTION PITCH ]
My approach consists of x steps:
Eventually, the first step is the trickiest. You need to have an idea where you want to go. What is the target? Do you want to tap into a new market? Is there a product you aim to launch? Is there a thing you want to change in your organization? Once you can communicate your goal in a clear and structured way, you're good to delegate strategy-making.
You start by communicating your goal some weeks or months in advance. Speak about it and repeat what new thing you want to achieve with the team whenever there's a moment that makes it feel natural. Repitition is the key. Let it marinate. Some managers like their team to be involved in goalsetting. Even if that's the case, make sure to bring it up again and again in the weeks after your workshops or strategy days. The more touchpoints you create down the road, the higher the odds that you're team has already collected valuable thoughts when you ask them to strategize.
It might feel odd to you as you're likely working with well-trained people that have that mental capacity, but nevertheless, avoid to say strategy at any cost (as well as other high-level words that you'll find in business textbooks such as concept, roadmap, or blueprint). I truly believe that words like these distract and elevate expectations both on your end and within your team. When it comes to delegating work, catchwords like these bear way too much of a risk of leaving open on what to actually deliver. People have different perceiptions or other experiences in the past of what a good strategy is. Or, it simply get's lost in translation. As a manager delegating strategy work, do yourself a favor and use simple words instead.
To do so, a simple trick is to break down delegation into the chunks that go into a strategy. Start by asking your team to give you the
