The last three years have forced many organizations to reassess their mission and their and business model in light of tight budgets, changing customer priorities and reduced staff. The phrases I hear most when I walk into clients' offices are "everything's on the table", we need to "do more with less", and (my ever favorite) help us "raise the bar". Although these are valid perspectives to have, the assumptions these beliefs are placed on are not. When I hear a client say any of these quotes to me, I know I am dealing with someone who simply wants me to help them rearrange the deck chairs or be the bad guy who eliminated a coveted program.
This isn't strategy execution; it's how long can I hold my head down until things get back to normal. The past is the past and it's not coming back. Get over it! This is the new normal.
An organization steps up their game not by copying others but by intensifying their own successes. Moving into 2011 for an organization means knowing your core strengths and repeating what's working. It's having a willingess to reassess everything: all assumptions and beliefs about past accomplishments and failures. Most critical is understanding the process behind the success. It's hard work and it takes time.
That's where I come in. As a principal consultant I assist organizations in achieving their goals by creating the structures that allow them to assess their efforts. I live in the how's, the process and the synergy among ideas, resources and peoples. I truly believe organizations, like individuals, can have anything they set their minds on, provided they are willing to do the work.
A goal without a plan is just a wish.
This blog is key to my strategy to make public how I approach my work in order to build a community around the issues of strategy execution. I hope to share what I know as well as learn from you.
Joyce
