5 Mistakes Leaders Make When Developing The Organisations Strategy
An organisations business strategy should be the focal point for where the organisation is going and the contribution that it is going to make. While this might be understood there are sill some common mistakes that are made.
Mistake 1: Imposing All Their Own Ideas
As a leader you are of course expected to have a clear idea of where you want to take the organisation. People like to know where they are heading. At the same time you have to be alert to merely imposing your ideas. This is the fastest route to disengagement.
Mistake 2: Not Asking For Input From Others
People in organisations want to have the opportunity to make their suggestions and contribute ideas. They understand that every suggestion they make cannot be acted upon and still value having the opportunity to influence. Being willing to listen and act on the ideas of others will improve motivation and increase the chances of the strategy delivering what you want.
Mistake 3: Being Too Internally Focused
At the end of the day any organisation that exists only exists to meet a specific demand or need. Sometimes it is easy for organisations to forget this. They become too interested in the internal impact that they lose sight of the needs of those that they serve.
Mistake 4: Failing To Face Up To Reality
When reviewing your current strategy there are going to be things that are working well, areas that are doing okay but could be better and those that are lost causes. It can be hard to acknowledge the lost causes but unless you are willing to face up to reality, you will spend a disproportionate amount of time on things that are going to have little or no impact.
Mistake 5: Not Identifying the Key Factors To Success
In any organisation there are going to be a few things that are going to be show stoppers. In other words they are so critical to the achievement of results that if you don’t pay attention to them you are likely to fail to deliver or deliver below potential.
The Bottom Line: Strategy is an important part of success so take the time to make the best job you can of creating your strategy.
Duncan Brodie helps leaders and managers in major organisations to achieve more success. Learn more here.
About the Author Duncan Brodie
Since 2006 I’ve worked with in excess of 8,000 accountants and professionals in workshops, seminars and one to one helping them land their next jobs and become better leaders, presenters and business partners. Before that I spent 25 years in accountancy climbing the career ladder from Payments Clerk to FD. I’m a CIMA Fellow, Certified Professional Coach and Team Coach Facilitator.