Strategy Execution

It can be difficult to shift an organization from an operational frame of reference to one based on strategy, shaping the future the organization wants and needs. All teams encounter some resistance that needs to be managed in order to execute a strategic plan. Great strategic leaders execute their strategy with the help of others. In addition to managing the execution plan, strategic leaders need to guide, inform, and motivate their teams towards specific areas of strategic significance. CMOE’s Strategic Leadership^™ Workshop helps leaders deliver today’s operational results while acting and executing on future opportunities.

Why Is Strategy Execution Important?

Unfortunately, after leaders spend hundreds of hours on a strategy, their organizations often do not execute it as they intended. This can deprive customers of an innovative technology or service if a company, for example, fails to market well to its target customers.

Ultimately, no matter how brilliant a strategy sounds in theory, it can only succeed when put into action in everyday work.

Crucial Components of Strategy Execution

A few of the top components of strategy execution include:

1. Ensuring all employees know which decisions they have a right to make and which actions they’re accountable for.
2. Setting up systems to bring current, frontline marketplace data back to leadership promptly—in order that it can meaningfully affect decisions.
3. Encouraging managers not to second-guess their team members’ decisions or redo their work.
4. Encouraging departments to share information and best practices with each other.
5. Help employees understand how their daily decisions affect the organization’s bottom line.

HBR found that these improvements affect strategy execution much more than do changes to organizational structure or motivators.

What Does Good Strategy Execution Require?

Strategy execution requires discipline. Discipline is achieved by setting up detailed, reasonable actions that bring the strategy to life—and that employees are able and willing to follow. Along with formulating a strategy, then, leaders should create a plan to ensure it can be followed.

Even more importantly, execution also requires competent, well-informed employees. Your people are the ones who actually work your strategy. Give them the information, training, decision-making power, and understanding needed to implement it well.

About the Workshop

In order for strategy execution to occur, leaders need to be able to:

• Set a compelling strategic direction (a plan to win)
• Create a strategic course of action for short- and long-term objectives
• Develop an implementation plan that allows strategic progress to take place while maintaining operational excellence
• Allow the process to unfold and be sustained
• Link and align strategic plans with the organization’s high-level strategy
• Hold people accountable by measuring their results against the strategic initiatives they own
• Encourage strategic innovation that will create competitive advantage
• Use fundamental leadership skills to execute the plan and create competitive advantages for the organization

Objectives

The Strategic Leadership^™ Workshop is a highly interactive learning experience that is built around CMOE’s Strategic Leadership Model^™, tools, and resources. This workshop features a learning simulation that provides participants with opportunities to develop, or build upon, their strategy and leadership skills. Participants also have the opportunity to assess their current level of effectiveness as a strategic leader and their ability to help sustain the organization’s performance in the future. The learning event concludes with time for participants to begin crafting a strategy for their part of the business by identifying specific actions needed to execute their strategy.

Because each client is unique, we offer the Strategic Leadership Workshop in a one-day, one-and-a-half-day, or two-day format. Our team is available at your convenience to discuss how our Strategic Leadership Workshop, or our other strategy products and services, can be tailored and customized for your organization.