What is a strategic plan in the ‘new era’. Will your business be sustainable?

A strategic plan is not what it used to be….

Years ago we produced long reports with many documents, frameworks and KPI’s which were established in an annual team offsite - more memorable for the dinner and drinks - and not always for using as a useful tool when back in the office

But these traditional performance driven models are unable to deliver a business that will be transformational and competitive in the new era of strategic wisdom, where models will mostly be identity driven instead.

Long reports are long gone.

In the wisdom era (see my last post) we need to be able to discern what truly matters, make sense of complexity and turn insight into practical direction, so now the most powerful strategies fit on a single page – not because they lack depth, but because they reflect clarity of thought.

Good strategy now:

- guides everyday decisions,
- shapes priorities,
- can be explained simply in a few minutes
- and is used by people doing the work, every day

and it will include:

1.     Purpose - Strategy starts with purpose (your why) - without purpose it is
just activity. Purpose anchors decisions, guides trade-offs, and gives
meaning to effort. When people understand why the organisation exists
and what it stands for, strategy becomes easier to follow — and easier
to live.

2.     How we work – our decision principles. Does this align with our
purpose, is this the best use of energy right now?

3.     What we want to be known for / where we are choosing to go

4.     Focus areas - eg where will we grow

5.     Measures of progress

What this means for everyone

Strategy belongs to the whole organisation.  It needs to be clear enough to remember and visible enough to use daily.  If each person understands this page, they will be able to answer:

- How does my role contribute?
- What should I prioritise?
- What can I safely deprioritise?
- How do I make better decisions?

If people can’t see themselves in the strategy, it won’t be used.

From strategy as a document → strategy as a capability.

Good strategy today is about choosing well…..

·      Aligned with purpose.
·      Understood by everyone.
·      Simple enough to use.
·      Strong enough to guide results.
·      That is what strategic wisdom looks like now.

If you’d like to test your business clarity, and capability to be ‘identity driven’ to succeed in the new era, access my 'Business Sustainability Quiz'