The Most Common Mistake in Strategic Planning
Peter Drucker famously once stated that, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” This is a guiding principle that stuck with me during my many years as an HR Leader. And for the most part, the leaders I’ve worked with agree wholeheartedly with this idea.
So why is it that every fall, most leadership teams prioritize time and effort into strategic planning, yet fail to spend time on culture? This has always felt like a miss, and one that I now work hard to rectify with my consulting clients.
Because I’ve been a member of these kinds of leadership teams in the past, I’ve sat through days of meetings wondering which of the many ideas we so hotly debated would actually “stick.” Which of our well-formed strategies would make it to full realization? In the worst organizations I worked for, it was probably around 50%. In the best, still far under 100%.
My doubts were grounded in this hard truth:
You can have the best strategic plan, vision and goals but if you don’t have the right people, culture and environment to support it, they aren’t worth anything.
So how do organizations ensure that their precious strategic planning process isn’t in vain? They start with culture, and they focus on the behaviors of the executive team. This translates to a full day of candid discussions about how well the executive team is functioning as a real team.
The key topics:
What do we truly value as a team?
How do we describe the culture we aspire to?
How well do team values and culture line up with our stated company values?
If we candidly assess the executive team’s behaviors, how well are we living up to these? Why?
What small changes can we commit to as a team in order to improve? (Think about common pain points like transparency, communication, accountability, leading by example, etc.)
The day you spend on executive team health may just be the most impactful day of the year. If you’re looking for some help to make this happen, reach out to discuss a full-day workshop that aligns with your strategic planning process. Intrinsic offers a variety of frameworks that make the conversation fun and interesting. Your team will leave the day with new insights, impactful yet doable commitments, and a renewed sense of trust in your ability to execute on the coming year’s strategic plans.
Please contact me directly here:
Loala McCann is an Executive Coach who specializes in working with women in leadership. Her clients often come to her when they’re stressed out and losing sleep over a major transition: an intimidating set of new responsibilities, a new team with tough dynamics, challenging company growth, looming retirement and more.
Coaching is an excellent resource for individual leaders to regain their footing during a challenging period. It’s also the best option for a team in need of recalibration.
For more on Loala’s coaching philosophy, the story of how she transitioned from corporate HR executive to coach, and why she does what she does, click here.
