The recently hired CEO of HP, Mark Hurd, widely credited for engineering a substantive turnaround has stated "without execution, vision is just another word for hallucination". Execution, taking decisive action, is the most under-appreciated phenomen of management capability and achieving results. Many companies stew around in the process of finding true North, the absolutely correct strategy. They continuously absorb new information in seeking the absolutely best course. In the meantime, the organization has no direction, or worse, many. Middle management cannot make decisions as they don't know the framework and feel they're taking a risk. So in the pursuit of perfection: execution is lost, results are postponed, success is stymied. Pick a reasonable NorthWest course, communicate it effectively and relentlessly to all your constituencies, and get on with it. Tune it up later.
Once the tribe has gathered around its chief, the question becomes, “Where do we go from here?” The hunters may vote for the forest because it has the best game. Warriors will push for a more defensible position on the plains and the women know the river offers resources from food to building materials. The entire tribe looks to the chief for the answer.
It seems the leader can take the advice of one group and head to the river. If that doesn’t work out, he can always take the advice of a different group and relocate everyone to the forest or the plains. But constantly moving from one place to the next, each time thinking that this, at last, is the perfect answer, wastes time, effort and resources.
It’s the same with companies. I’ll take a business going a little off course but generally in the same direction over a company that constantly changes directions in search of the perfect route.
The essence of finding your Northwest Strategy is exactly that. Construct a reasonable and rational plan and get on with it. Be decisive. Stick to it! Don’t let your various constituencies make you wobble. By constantly changing direction in pursuit of true north, you’ll send mixed signals to employees, suppliers and customers.
Don’t get bogged down with consulting studies, affirming but always tinkering with what you already know. True solutions come from considering the amalgam of all the issues. Usually the chief won’t have all the information he needs for the perfect answer. Do game animals live in that forest year-round or do they migrate? Will the plains provide enough resources for all these people? Is the delta already inhabited, and are those tribes friendly?
He could send a group of scouts into each territory; convene a counsel of elders to review the information the scouts gather (most of which was already understood); hold open debates for the entire tribe on what the information means; and spend entire seasons refereeing disagreements between groups. Sound familiar?
By the time consultants conclude a study on the perfect strategy, you could already have executed a less-than-perfect yet functional plan. You will learn more and have achieved far more from six months of operating with a rational, sound Northwest Strategy than any degree of consulting or study will bring in the same time.
The blogs to follow take you through the process. Real-world examples show you that implementing and sticking with a Northwest Strategy is a proven, viable map for success.
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