There is a process to effective organisational strategic planning and the cascading of strategic plans. It can seem confusing when you haven’t done it before, but it doesn’t need to be. So, for anyone who has not been involved in an...
The SRC Blog
How to mend organisational silos
Organisational silos exist in almost every medium to large organisation and they become the bane of organisational life if we don't keep them in check. There is a bit of a Goldilocks effect with silos: differentiation between departments is useful, but there is a...
How to engage and motivate your people to implement the strategy
Without committed and effective execution, no strategy is a good strategy. If your people are not fully engaged and motivated about the strategy then you have poor, delayed and half-hearted execution. So what's the best way to motivate and engage your...
The real reason organisational culture is so important
To support the execution of a good strategy you need 3 propositions to align: The value proposition: the strategy must add value to customers above the price they pay The profit proposition: the strategy must achieve a profit for the organisation The people...
Driving organisational behaviour change can be a lot simpler than trying to change mindsets.
Driving organisational behaviour change is often a challenging task, especially when it comes to changing beliefs and mindsets. We tend to use “beliefs and mindsets” as justifications for why we cannot help someone change, or why change is hard. However, the real...
Why your leadership teams need conflict
Executive teams need to have a healthy level of conflict to be effective. This is important for all their decisions, of which the most important are the decisions made in the development of your strategy. Critical steps in the strategic process...
If you are serious about developing your team then help them be more strategic.
As a leader, you are in a position to deeply consider what types of development are going to be important for each of your team members. For sure we all benefit from developing personal mastery and constructive leadership behaviours, this enables us to lead teams, get...
The key characteristics of a strategic mindset.
I wrote about the importance of strategic thinking for all emerging leaders and the impacts you might see if your organisation lacks strategic thinkers. But what actually is a strategic mindset? It’s a way of thinking and approaching problems focused on...
10 ways a lack of strategic thinking could be reducing the success of your organisation
Do any of these apply to your organisation? If so then you may have a lack of strategic thinking in your leadership team. Lack of Organisational Direction: Without strategic thinking, leaders may lack a clear vision and direction for the organisation. This...
This is going to hurt a bit, because it’s a strategy.
Strategy hurts a bit, sometimes a lot. But it's less risky than trying to do everything or just following a plan. Planning gives us a feeling of being in control, strategy gives us a workable theory of success. They are very...
Too much to do? Perfect the art of the slow yes next time you are asked to do something.
If you have too much to do it might be because you have said yes to too much: it's probably not essential you do all these things, you just need to focus on the 20% that gives 80% of the value, and start saying no to the rest. But saying no is not always easy and it...
Do different strategies require different cultures?
The levers used to create a great culture are the same regardless of the strategy but the culture will look and feel very different depending on what strategic focus you are applying these levers to. For example, compare a strategy that requires a focus on...
Don’t just onboard your newly hired leaders, assimilate them.
The first 90 days for a leader in a new organisation is all about getting up to speed as quickly as possible, creating the best first impression and generating a positive momentum for success. However senior leader transitions are a challenging and risky...
Internally promoted leaders face unique challenges. Are we doing all we can to support them?
Most organisations have some type of onboarding program for new leaders joining the organisation, but what about leaders promoted internally? The challenges faced by an internally promoted leader are often overlooked, with the assumption that because they know the...
Increase levels of team trust with these 2 activities
In my recent post, on the specific type of trust leadership teams need, I shared why a key component of trust is having trust in the other person’s intention, and why this is so critical for leadership teams. Here we dig a bit deeper to look at 2 ways...
Need to design a simple, low-cost culture survey? Use these 4 foundations of culture to create one.
I often use the Organisational Culture Inventory (OCI) from Human Synergistics to help organisations see what their culture is and clarify the ideal culture they need to achieve their strategy. Using their OCI data, leaders can see what they need...
How to be a more strategic leader
So, you’ve got feedback that you need to be more strategic leader…now what? It's a common piece of performance management feedback that leaders or would-be leaders get. It's also one that is difficult for those receiving it to really know what it means....
How to visualise your strategy and find new opportunities
Creating a strategy canvas (by Blue Ocean Strategy) is a great starting point for developing a good strategy. It's also a great starting point for communicating your strategy or to just figure out whether or not you even need a new strategy. It will enable you to see...
How Comic Relief Created a Strategic Advantage
From an overcrowded market, with very little differentiation of offerings, Comic Relief created a strategic advantage, made us laugh and got us donating more than ever to charity. We can use this strategic thinking process and apply it to any business. Friday...
Do your company’s values spell a word?
I don’t think I am alone in becoming increasingly underwhelmed by organisational values. This isn’t because I don’t agree with them, it’s easy to be in full agreement with the need for inclusion, teamwork, respect and achievement. But if we are to get...
When is the right time to do a culture review?
The most common time for an organisation to do a culture review seems to be after a critical event (for example following the Royal Commission in the Australian banking sector, or when there is a negative story in the press). But why wait for a critical...
What specific type of trust do leadership teams need?
Building trust has become one of those overused phrases that has lost its specific meaning when it comes to leadership teams. However, it’s a critical discipline for effective leadership teams, and as such is the foundational layer on the 5 Dysfunctions of...
What strategy is and what it is not
As I kick off my strategy blog posts I thought a good place to start is at a high level, what strategy is and is not. Later posts will dig into each of these areas in more detail, but as a summary guide, here are a few key pointers about what strategy is and is not....
Avoid Purpose Cynicism
We all know companies that have a purpose statement that seems laughably remote from what that organisation actually does, or how it truly impacts employees, customers, communities and stakeholders. These companies, unfortunately, give purpose a bad name...