{"id":2508,"date":"2014-01-08T10:00:42","date_gmt":"2014-01-08T18:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/systematichr.com\/?p=2508"},"modified":"2014-01-08T10:00:48","modified_gmt":"2014-01-08T18:00:48","slug":"an-unremitting-devotion-to-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/systematichr.com\/?p=2508","title":{"rendered":"An Unremitting Devotion to Strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"

“I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen.” Frank Lloyd Wright<\/strong><\/p>\n

Every year, I have a plan. \u00a0At the beginning of every year, I realize I’ve gained between 5-7 pounds from my November and December feasting. \u00a0January and February are almost always diet months for me. \u00a0Then comes March and April when I realize I’m painfully out of shape for riding my bike. \u00a0I ride about 150 miles each weekend, so March and April are just about trying to stay on my bike for as long as possible. \u00a0Just as I’m able to increase my miles for the summer riding, I realize that everyone I ride with is about 2 months ahead of me, and they are all riding quite a bit faster. \u00a0May and june are about power for me as I just struggle to keep up. \u00a0If I’m lucky I finally hit my stride in August and have a couple decent months before I start eating again and the whole cycle repeats. \u00a0The point is, that there’s a process, and if I follow the process I know that I’ll get to my goal in August, no matter how derelict I was at over the Winter.<\/p>\n

In my line of work, I help a lot of organizations figure out what they should be thinking about strategically, and putting together plans to get there. \u00a0All too often, consultants are overly willing to tell their clients that the plan will need to be revisited every year as the business context and the budgets change. \u00a0As I think about this, I’m not sure this is totally true. \u00a0Our 3 or 5 year roadmaps are always connected to higher level corporate strategies. \u00a0If the imperative is to ensure we have talent processes to backfill all of our succession plans, that’s pretty specific. \u00a0No amount of increases to health insurance premiums should offset our timing to get that done. \u00a0If our attrition rates are terrible and we can track them back to employee engagement, then the roadmap for solutioning that should not be redirected when the bottom drops out of the economy and retention increases due to a crappy job market. \u00a0Strategic outcomes are strategic outcomes and I’m not sure why we think it’s ok for a tactical or environmental condition impacts the “choice” who and when we pursue correcting these business elements.<\/p>\n

When I go see my clients, 100% of the time I ask for a copy of this year’s strategic plan. \u00a0100% of the time, I’m presented with a document that has a plan with the current year on it. 80% of the time, the elements of that strategy are fundamentally different from last year’s. \u00a0The problem with strategy is that we are relenting in our devotion. \u00a0The tools and tactics that we use to get to our goals each year can change, but the fact that those long term objectives actually seem to be shifting is extremely problematic. \u00a0I’ve been back to see companies I saw 3 years ago with a plan to put in succession systems that don’t have them yet. \u00a0Wait, that was the strategic imperative 3 years ago to develop and grow senior bench strength and its’ still not done?<\/p>\n

Here are a couple comments:<\/p>\n