As a strategist, it’s crucial to understand what strategy is all about. A great strategy is the starting point of every strategy execution journey.
But besides knowing what strategy is all about, you also need to cultivate the right attitude towards strategy .
I’ve come across many strategists in my career.
Some were bad.
Most were average.
Only a few were truly incredible.
The things that great strategists do on a day-to-day basis may not show up on the average radar. But for those who look carefully, they become visible.
HABITS OF A GREAT STRATEGIST:
How to become a strategist going beyond the traditional role of a strategist?
Here’s a list of things great strategists frequently do:
1. A great strategist makes us care
Good strategists formulate strategy using phrases like: “We want to outperform the market and have a ROCE at least 2 percent higher than the industry average in the next 5 years.”
And while this phrase might perfectly capture the company’s ambition, the truth is most people just don’t care.
Great strategists go beyond PowerPoint presentations.
They look for ways to make us care about the company strategy.
They look for ways to turn an abstract idea into a concrete race that we all want to be part of.
Just think about John F. Kennedy who made an entire nation care about NASA’s strategy by turning aeronautics into a race every American wanted to win: “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.”
2. A great strategist keeps us focused
Good strategists know that strategy success depends on our ability to stick to the choice we have made.
Great strategists stand out because they dare to defend that choice and say NO.
They stand out because they are willing to take an unpopular stand like sacrificing short-term results to create long-term value.
They know that strategy is about choice and choosing to stick with your thinking.
And, by their example, they inspire others to do the same.
3. A great strategist facilitates our decision process
When employees complain about the company strategy, they say things like “The strategy is not clear”, or “Our organization doesn’t have a strategy.” But the underlying point they want to make is “I don’t know what I can do to help”.
Bad strategists don’t pay attention to this hidden message. If the strategy message is clear for them, they assume it’s clear for everyone.
Great strategists strive to get everyone on board the strategy ship. They will provide strategy information in a language people understand.
A great strategist provides prioritization guidelines to align day-to-day choices with the big choice.
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