WorkMatters Tips Issue #45 – May 20, 2008
Publisher: Gayle Lantz mailto:lantz@workmatters.com
https://workmatters.com
WorkMatters, Inc.
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A quick tip to help leaders and executives who need to motivate their teams and themselves, and catapult their business.
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Strategic Discipline
During tough times, there’s an opportunity for businesses to revisit their vision or rethink their business strategy. Yet too many leaders are still caught in the storm of crisis management instead of strategic thinking.
You may be one of them.
It’s easy to generate possible ideas or solutions to problems."Hey, maybe this idea will work… or that idea will work." But it’s harder to refrain from immediate problem solving and ask:
"Where are we really trying to go?"
Or "What are we ultimately trying to accomplish?"
Recently I met with a group of senior executives from different industries who discussed their specific approaches to strategy. There was no common approach. Each business was different, as was their leadership. But these leaders agreed on the need to be more strategic and to strengthen execution.
Even thriving businesses lose sight of strategy and risk operating on autopilot. Whatever challenges plague your business, or whatever opportunities appear on the horizon, commit to sharpening your strategic focus. Chances are, if you’re not doing that, others in your business may be working with a blurry lens as well.
Some tips:
* Raise the topic of "strategy" frequently. Don’t wait for the annual retreat. Your conversation about strategy should be ongoing. This requires discipline.
* Revisit strategic fundamentals. Does everyone agree on the purpose of the business? Its driving forces? Its competitive positioning, etc.? It’s hard to drive the business forward when people don’t agree on the starting point.
* Check for alignment. Make sure people or operating areas are doing what’s needed to support the overall business strategy. Your car works best when the wheels aren’t rolling in different directions.
Your role as a leader is to keep strategy on the radar. Continue to ask yourself,
"What’s best for the business?" and…
"How can I help others understand what’s best for the business?"
Be disciplined about strategy. Just as physical exercise is healthy for your body, focusing on strategy regularly is a healthy exercise for your business.
P.S. If you’d like additional information, resources or help in developing your business strategy, feel free to contact me:
mailto:lantz@workmatters.com.
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ON THE LIGHTER SIDE:
One-half of life is luck; the other half is discipline – and that’s the important half, for without discipline you wouldn’t know what to do with luck.
~ Carl Zuckmayer
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Reprinted from "WorkMatters Tips," a free ezine produced by Gayle Lantz featuring tips for leaders and executives who want to grow themselves, their team and their business. Subscribe at
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