Newsletter #7: FROM OVERWHELMED TO EFFECTIVE: Preparing for Strategic Success

„You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage – pleasantly, smilingly, nonapologetically – to say ‘no’ to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger ‘yes’ burning inside.“ - Stephen Covey

A) "1 PROBLEM":

Robert Kaplan, a professor at Harvard Business School, states that 90% of companies are unable to successfully implement their strategies. Management teams often enthusiastically fill their annual roadmaps with numerous brainstormed initiatives or tasks assigned to them by senior management in strategy workshops. However, this enthusiasm frequently fades as soon as they return to the challenges of day-to-day business. The demands of "firefighting" consume resources and leave strategic initiatives either as forgotten documents in a drawer or as overwhelming tasks for teams that are already overloaded by the pressure of day-to-day business and the multitude of parallel projects.

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B) "1 INSIGHT":

To achieve success, it's crucial to design an effective strategy from the outset, in addition to implementing efficient execution mechanisms. Many strategies fail because they are overloaded, particularly in matrix organizations where top-level alignment and prioritization are unclear. Effective resource management, including addressing daily operational issues and ongoing projects from the previous year, is often neglected. This leads to an accumulation of tasks and overwhelms the organization.

To be truly effective, we must strategically delay certain tasks—even if they are important—so that we can focus on the most critical issues that drive real change. It’s natural for our risk-averse brains to try to address all potential risks with improvement actions, but with limited resources, prioritization is key. Being everywhere means being nowhere: Spreading ourselves too thin means being busy without making substantial progress on the core areas that offer the greatest value to the organization. This approach often leads to frustration, overwhelm, and lack of success.

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C) "1 CALL TO ACTION":

This week, let's already slowly start preparations for the strategy workshop that usually takes place in autumn.

·  Alignment and Prioritization: Engage with your superiors to ensure alignment on priorities before the workshop, especially in a matrix organization where cross-functional requests and multiple targets can create confusion. The goal is to define the top three golden organizational priorities.

·  Loss Analysis: While brainstorming initiatives is useful, it's even more effective when supported by data from a loss analysis. Thoroughly prepare by analyzing losses, failure modes, and potential improvement projects for the upcoming year. This data will provide valuable input for the strategy workshop.

·  Focus and deliberate procrastination: Start discussions with management about which topics will be deliberately postponed. This will help ensure that all energies and resources are concentrated on the top three golden priorities.

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I'm curious to hear your perspective! What are your thoughts on this topic? 💬 Feel free to share your insights in the comments below! 👇

Thank you for reading the newsletter and for your commitment to fostering a work environment filled with engagement, effectiveness and empathy. Together, we can continue to make a positive impact. Stay tuned for more updates!

Until next week,

Daniel

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