Leaders create strategy, but they must rely on others to execute it. Motivating their teams to act on the strategy requires two attributes: 1. Influence leverages the leader’s experience and credibility to persuade team members about the benefits of the strategy. Commitment to the strategy evolves as the team is encouraged to discuss why it’s necessary, and how its envisioned outcome creates value for the company and for them. This dialogue then enables action steps to be …
The planning season is upon us. Visions and missions are being reconsidered. New goals and objectives are being determined. Strategies and action plans are being developed to achieve those goals. When the planning turns to strategy execution, in addition to determining action steps, success metrics and the allocation of resources, it can be beneficial to consider the company’s commitment to executing a given strategy. Changing circumstances ensure that few strategies survive without adaptation and perseverance. …
Bob Schultek Author of The Gauntlet When growth stalls, the need to reassess strategy, people and process becomes urgent. The people evaluation may considers the “right person-right job” question, balancing an individual’s performance against the consistency of actual versus expected behaviors. The process evaluation may challenge best practices. What has worked well to deliver productivity with consistent quality versus what can be improved, by how much and how soon. The strategy evaluation is typically the most comprehensive assessment, often beginning with a review of …
Winning When Your Customer Does Early in my career, one customer abruptly ended a meeting when I spent more time talking than I did listening. He said, “We’ve been meeting for more than 15 minutes and you have not yet asked a question about my business, my goals or my problems. I don’t need your products – I need solutions. Come back when you can add value to our discussion.” This was a tough but …
Empowering Your People To Create Value In today’s economy, we are evermore dependent on technology to accelerate responsiveness, increase productivity and enhance service. Yet as our dependence on technology grows, so does our thirst for human connection. This phenomenon is called the “High Tech-High Touch” trend, first described in the early 1980s by John Naisbitt in his book MegaTrends. Just recall a time when you had a crisis or critical question, but could not connect …
