If you do an online search for “Strategy Implementation Failure Statistics,” you’ll see what folks have been saying for years, nay, decades now:
If you keep reading through all those articles from your online search, you’ll see tons of reasons for why this is the case, and what you should be doing to change it. And yet with this wealth of advice at our fingertips, that statistic hasn’t changed much since the 1990’s. In general, companies still have a problem with implementing their strategic plans. Perhaps you’ve even experienced this yourself with your own strategic planning process.
Well, guess what.
The problem isn’t with you. The problem’s with your plan.
Or rather, the problem’s with that 200-page strategic plan you’ve been “trying” to implement. (And yes, I put “trying” in quotes.) Who the heck can understand that thing?! It’s massive… and massively overwhelming! We are drowning in the sheer massiveness of our strategic plans.
“But Jeannel,” you might say, “we NEED that 200 page strategic plan! Our leadership won’t take us seriously if we don’t present a 200 page plan with charts and graphs and reams of paper and analysis!”
I get it. A really long report with lots of five dollar words certainly makes you look like you’ve done your due diligence and have engaged in responsible planning. But let me ask you this:
What does that plan actually say?
And therein lies the problem.
At the end of the day, your strategic plan assesses a challenge, presents a solution for the team to follow, with the intent of generating certain positive results for the team or business. A good plan does this in ways all team members can relate to and understand… so they are motivated and vested in making that plan a reality for the organization. And I gotta tell you: those big reports can be challenging to use on a day-to-day basis. (Heck, they can be challenging to lift!)
So if you must have one of those 200 page strategic plans, may I make a suggestion?
Visually translate that plan into something you would look at every single day.
Strip that 200 pages down into one page you’ll want to look at day-in and day-out. Translate all that complex content into the gist of what you need to know moving forward, and keep that translation in front of you as you go forward. Because THAT’s when you get some serious value out of your plan: when you live with it and actively draw from it every day.
Visually translate that massive plan into a simpler visual roadmap the entire team can use, and your entire team will thank you. Implement that plan faster, easier, and more effectively than you ever thought possible and your stakeholders will thank you!
I cannot wait to see what you draw forth,
