Think You Need a Comprehensive Strategy? Maybe Not.

Your company proudly touts its “comprehensive strategic plan.” But while its creators are satisfied with its depth and detail, perhaps it’s time to rethink. Narrowing its focus might just save it from failure.

Somewhere in your email inbox, there’s a lengthy strategic document waiting to be read. It’s so long and dense that you haven’t even glanced at it. You’re not alone—no one has. Reading it would take hours, and your plate is already full.

Deep down, you worry that months—or even a full year—might pass before you carve out time to review it. But while the plan gathers digital dust, you don’t question the good intentions behind its creation. You may have even contributed some ideas early on. Yet, because you weren’t part of the team that finalized the document, its nuances escape you.

The responsibility for crafting the final version fell to a group of well-meaning colleagues who embraced the idea of being “comprehensive.” And therein lies the potential problem.

From Strategic Plan to Wishlist

What if the plan is less of a strategy and more of a wishlist? Think of a child’s letter to Santa: an ambitious catalog of hopes, many of which are unlikely to come true.

The issue isn’t that the individual ideas in the plan are bad—on the contrary, you probably support most, if not all, of them. The problem lies in the fallacy that “more is better.” In strategy, this belief can be dangerous. It’s easy for leaders to fall into the trap of saying “yes” to every new proposal, particularly in the C-suite.

But this “yes to everything” mindset often results in an unattainable dream masquerading as a plan. Failing to say “no” plants the seeds of failure.

Perhaps this pattern is familiar. It might even explain your reluctance to engage with the document. After all, a strategy overloaded with too many good ideas often adds up to a bad one.

A Case in Point: Apple’s Comeback

Consider Steve Jobs’ return to Apple in 1997. One of his first moves was to cut most of the company’s product lines. By focusing on a single ecosystem, Apple transformed itself into the world’s most valuable company.

This example highlights the power of focus. Now, how should you respond to your own bloated strategic plan?

Announce: The Process Isn’t Finished

Reject the current wishlist and restart the planning process with a fresh approach. A helpful tool to guide this next phase is Peter Compo’s Strategy Triad, which comprises three components:

Aspiration – Your primary objective.
Bottlenecks – The key obstacles standing in the way.
Tasks and Policies – The actions needed to address the bottlenecks.

Use this framework in your next strategy session to sharpen your focus. Here’s how:

Start by selecting your single most critical objective.
Identify the bottlenecks preventing success and narrow down to the few actions required to overcome them.
Move on to the next objective, applying the same process.
Eliminate wishlist items that don’t directly address the bottlenecks.
Prioritize a small number of high-impact initiatives that fit your resources and budget.

While this streamlined approach seems logical, expect resistance.

Handling Pushback

Objection #1: “This Will Be Too Difficult”

Narrowing the plan means forcing tough choices. Colleagues with conflicting priorities will have to confront their differences in open discussions, which can create tension.

The solution? Use a neutral facilitator. A skilled, impartial moderator can help navigate disagreements, ensuring the group reaches consensus without losing focus or momentum.

Objection #2: “This Will Take Too Long”

Don’t assume you can resolve these challenges in a quick meeting. Instead, dedicate a full day to an offsite session with your top 20 leaders. Away from daily distractions, work together to identify the few key initiatives that will “bust” the bottlenecks and achieve your goals.

While this approach requires time upfront, it’s an investment. Begin by showing how many hours would be wasted trying to execute the original wishlist. By narrowing the focus, you’ll save time overall and boost the odds of success.

Why It Works

An overly broad strategic plan is often overwhelming. Your colleagues may avoid engaging with it for the same reasons you do—it feels unrealistic and demotivating. By narrowing the scope, you create a plan that feels achievable and inspires action.

Think of it as a Minimum Viable Strategy. A focused plan speeds up implementation, concentrates energy, and delivers visible results. Success, in turn, builds momentum, paving the way for even greater achievements.

When it comes to strategy, less is often more. Toss the wishlist, narrow the focus, and watch your organization thrive.

December 29, 2024

Every Leader’s Challenge | Transitioning Between Successive Visions

Jamaica’s economic future is once again in the spotlight. With elections on the horizon, the Prime Minister has unveiled the ASPIRE program. However, given the backdrop of past disappointments and widespread skepticism, one pressing question arises: How can leaders inspire others to embrace a new direction when another, prior “new direction” is still fresh in people’s memories?

From a political standpoint, the announcement has generated predictable headlines. Unsurprisingly, it hasn’t captured much interest beyond the loyal party base. Despite accurately reflecting the aspirations of most Jamaicans, the ASPIRE program has yet to ignite widespread optimism. Few believe this initiative will significantly alter the economic landscape. But is this response solely due to poor timing?

No one is satisfied with Jamaica’s sluggish economic performance. As such, it’s difficult to argue against the intent behind the ASPIRE program. A revitalized economy is urgently needed. However, the lack of enthusiasm for the program points to deeper issues. What lessons can organizational leaders glean from the Prime Minister’s challenge?

The Burden of Previous Failures

Every organization needs a clear vision to move forward. Leaders often feel an urgency to launch their initiatives as quickly as possible. Yet, in their haste, they sometimes overlook a critical step: addressing the legacy of previous efforts.

When introducing ASPIRE, the Prime Minister bypassed the unresolved struggles of Vision 2030 Jamaica and the unfulfilled promises of the 5-in-4 project. (They were launched in 2009 and 2016 respectively.) This omission is not unique to him; leaders often face difficulties transitioning from one ambitious vision to the next. However, these challenges are amplified when prior efforts have left a trail of unfulfilled expectations.

Jamaicans have seen multiple attempts to rally the nation around shared economic growth objectives. Yet, many remain skeptical, with some pursuing opportunities abroad in search of a better life. The problem lies in the failure to properly address and learn from past shortcomings. When launching a new vision, ignoring previous failures is a mistake that erodes trust and engagement.

Closing the Loop

As someone who enjoyed Carnival in my younger years, I learned valuable advice from Trinidadian friends: “Don’t try to replicate last year’s experience.” Each new event should be approached on its own terms. This wisdom is profoundly relevant to leadership. Humans are at their best when inspired by fresh opportunities rather than weighed down by past successes or failures.

So, how can leaders effectively inspire their teams while navigating the shadows of prior disappointments?

Acknowledge Successes and Failures: Recognize that each previous effort is a mix of achievements and setbacks. Be transparent about both.
Celebrate Contributions: Publicly thank participants and highlight stories of dedication and accomplishment. Empathize with those who experienced disappointment.
Extract Lessons Learned: Share the insights gained from past efforts. Demonstrate the value of those experiences, even if the original goals weren’t fully met.
Position the New Vision in Context: Frame the new initiative as a natural progression informed by prior feedback. Skilled communicators can emphasize that the new vision is not a rejection of the old but an evolution built on collective experience.

These practices are rooted in effective change management. They not only foster engagement but also encourage the discretionary commitment of time, energy, and attention—resources that leaders depend on to achieve their goals.

Consider historical examples, such as the independence movement in India. Mahatma Ghandi and his followers’ quest for justice called for immense sacrifices, ultimately costing hundreds of lives. While today’s challenges may not carry such dire consequences, visionary leadership still asks for sacrifices. In a climate of past disappointments, skepticism is natural, and leaders must tread carefully.

A New Strategy for Sustained Leadership

In the modern world, people expect more than inspiring rhetoric. They demand a practical strategy that addresses obstacles, such as talent shortages or previous missteps. Followers scrutinize new visions against past outcomes, grappling with two key questions:

Logical Concerns: What makes this initiative different? Why should it succeed where others failed?
Emotional Concerns: Do my leaders understand my disappointment? Do they take responsibility for past failures and empathize with my reluctance to trust again?

Launching a new vision without addressing these concerns risks deepening cynicism. Leaders who skip over the logical and emotional barriers of the past will find it increasingly difficult to inspire genuine commitment. Instead, leaders must intervene with honesty, empathy, and a clear plan.

For example, Nelson Mandela’s leadership in post-apartheid South Africa provides a powerful blueprint. Emerging from prison, Mandela confronted the nation’s painful history with sober honesty. His vision of reconciliation didn’t gloss over atrocities but sought to unite both victims and perpetrators under a shared future. His authenticity and empathy helped forge a new path for the country.

Some leaders may argue that achieving results requires force and urgency. However, true inspiration cannot be compelled. To galvanize others toward a bold new future, leaders must address the past openly, demonstrate empathy, and rebuild trust. Only then can they rally people to make the sacrifices needed for transformative change.

December 8, 2024

From Panic to Purpose: Building Strategy Around What Matters Most

Some companies that survived the pandemic now tout extreme agility as their superpower. But is this a sustainable approach? According to Jeff Bezos of Amazon, the answer may lie in focusing on what hasn’t changed, even amid turmoil.

The Agility Debate

Critics of long-term strategic thinking argue that it stifles flexibility. They believe leaders must prioritize adaptability, mastering the art of the pivot to stay afloat.

Adherents to this philosophy often chase short-term gains, juggling endless opportunities and quick fixes. Unfortunately, this leaves little room for deep reflection or meaningful answers to big questions. The result? A constant state of urgency that might, ironically, hinder growth.

Is this short-sighted?

Emergencies do demand immediate action, but the adrenaline rush of reactive leadership can become addictive. Could this obsession with rapid responses undermine long-term success?

Here’s Bezos’s take:

“I very frequently get the question: ‘What’s going to change in the next 10 years?’ And that is a very interesting question; it’s a very common one. I almost never get the question: ‘What’s not going to change in the next 10 years?’ And I submit to you that that second question is actually the more important of the two.”

In other words, lasting success comes from building a strategy around stability rather than unpredictability.

Anchoring to Customer Needs

Tony Ulwick offers a framework to understand stability through unmet needs, which drive people to take purposeful action—what he calls “Jobs to Be Done” (JTBD).

For example, before hamburgers became the most popular fast food, other regional choices like hot dogs, tacos, fish and chips and noodles dominated as go-to quick meals. Today, there’s a broad menu of options, but the underlying job remains the same: satisfying immediate hunger with a fast, affordable solution.

This stability extends to other industries. A trendy restaurant might offer an innovative menu, but it still relies on timeless needs—good food, quick service, and affordability.

Yet, when disruptions arise, some leaders lose sight of these enduring truths. Consider a cafe owner, struggling with sales, who decides to sell branded apparel alongside lunch. Such zigzag responses might miss the mark entirely.

Instead, here’s a better way forward:

Acknowledge unmet needs and JTBDs remain constant.
Identify how disruptions are creating new obstacles for customers.
Diagnose opportunities to remove those obstacles.
Act swiftly before competitors do.

Take, for instance, many countries’ ongoing ATM crisis. As banks close branches to cut costs, customers face immense frustration over fewer functional ATMs. Despite this glaring issue, few financial institution have stepped in with viable solutions.

As the holiday season amplifies the problem, even the central banks have expressed concern. A bank that truly understood its customers’ JTBDs—secure and convenient access to cash—could innovate and dominate.

Why hasn’t this happened?

The Missing Emotional Connection

Some public-sector professionals demonstrate genuine passion for serving citizens. Their enthusiasm helps them deeply understand and empathize with people’s needs. They aren’t just doing a job—they’re solving problems they care about.

In contrast, private-sector leaders often lack this emotional connection. Their focus tends to be transactional, driven by profits. Customers’ needs become tools for financial gain, not ends in themselves.

This mindset falls short.

If leaders could develop a deeper empathy for customers’ challenges, they’d unlock a surprising source of competitive advantage. This applies across sectors, including non-profits and government organizations, where relevance remains crucial for funding and support.

Disruptions, rather than being excuses for frantic pivots, can become opportunities to reconnect with core customer needs. By anchoring your organization to JTBDs, you can stand out meaningfully.

Winning the Long Game

When leaders embrace stability over chaos, they discover depth rather than desperation. Customers notice, and their loyalty follows.

As Bezos reminds us, long-term success doesn’t come from guessing what will change but from staying true to what won’t. Build on this foundation, and you’ll always have a winning strategy.

Intrigued? Take a moment to visit my long-form content, in text, audio and video. Click here: https://longtermstrategy.info

November 24, 2024

Transforming Vision Statements: The Right Level of Vision for the Right Time

As a leader, you recognize the importance of inspiring your team with a compelling vision. Yet, you may find that your company’s vision statement, despite its lofty aspirations, fails to inspire meaningful change. How can you craft and communicate a future that genuinely motivates your team to take action?

The Challenge of an Inherited Vision Statement

Imagine you’re a newly promoted CEO. Among the many responsibilities you’ve inherited is a vision statement. While it might look passable on paper, it has yet to inspire you, let alone your team, to embrace new behaviors or think differently.

It’s not that you lack vision yourself—after all, your success is built on envisioning possibilities and pursuing them. But translating that personal energy into an organizational vision that resonates with others is a different challenge altogether. Should you simply rewrite the vision statement, or is there a better way to achieve meaningful impact?

Here’s a fresh approach to this age-old leadership dilemma.

Understanding How Vision Truly Works

A powerful vision fundamentally transforms how we experience the present. Think about the difference between a Friday afternoon in the office and a Sunday afternoon. The former often feels better—not because of the immediate circumstances but because of our anticipation of the weekend. This sense of future anticipation changes how we perceive the present moment.

That’s the kind of shift you want to inspire in your stakeholders. You want them to feel energized by the future you’re describing, just as you are. The hallmark of success is when individuals take initiative, make sacrifices, and go beyond their job descriptions—not because they’re told to, but because they’re inspired to.

But here’s the hard truth: a traditional vision statement alone cannot deliver this kind of transformative impact.

Rethinking Vision: Introducing the Three Levels

Most organizations begin with what can be termed a “Level 1 Vision”: a concise, polished statement, often a few sentences or paragraphs, that attempts to summarize the future. However, these statements are frequently vague, generic, and uninspiring. They might sound nice but leave people either indifferent or skeptical. Some may even feel the statement describes what the organization has already achieved, rendering it irrelevant.

A better approach is to think of the Level 1 Vision as just the “headline” of a more detailed vision framework. Here’s how to expand it.

Building a Level 2 Vision

To create a meaningful vision at this level, gather your leadership team for an offsite retreat and focus on a specific long-term horizon—typically 15 to 30 years in the future. Work together to describe a vivid picture of what success looks like at that time. This Level 2 Vision goes beyond a brief statement; it provides several pages of detail, potentially including visuals, videos, or other media to bring the future to life.

The key here is collaboration. By involving your leadership team, you not only create a shared sense of ownership but also tap into a wider pool of creativity and ambition. A well-crafted Level 2 Vision should reflect the aspirations of your entire C-suite, energizing everyone involved.

However, many organizations stop at this stage. While the Level 2 Vision is more compelling than a simple statement, it often becomes an overwhelming list of aspirations. Without prioritization (and reduction), it risks becoming unrealistic, leading to cynicism rather than inspiration. Some employees may even dismiss it as “the CEO’s wish list.”

To avoid this pitfall, you must take the next step.

Evolving to a Level 3 Vision

The “Level 3 Vision” transforms lofty aspirations into a credible, actionable plan. This involves narrowing down the vision to a focused set of achievable targets supported by a strategic roadmap.

This process requires tough conversations. Your leadership team will need to negotiate priorities, confront trade-offs, and align on a clear path forward. Engaging a skilled facilitator can help ensure these discussions are productive and lead to consensus.

The outcome is a vision that stands apart from your competitors. A Level 3 Vision includes:

– Specific, measurable results: Clearly defined goals with tangible metrics.

– Milestones: Key achievements along the journey to the ultimate vision.

– A strategic pathway: A roadmap showing how to get from the present to the desired future.

– Team alignment: Full buy-in from your leadership team, ensuring commitment to execution.

With this, your vision evolves from an abstract dream into a realistic plan that inspires action.

Communicating Across the Three Levels

Once your Level 3 Vision is established, it’s crucial to communicate it effectively. Each level of vision—Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3—has a role to play depending on your audience and context.

For example, a Level 1 Vision offers a concise, memorable summary. Think of Vision 2030 Jamaica’s tagline: “…the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business.” It’s short, evocative, and easy to recall.

A Level 2 Vision, on the other hand, provides more depth. Vision 2030 Jamaica expands on its tagline with four National Goals and 15 Outcomes, offering stakeholders a richer understanding of the country’s aspirations.

Finally, a Level 3 Vision delivers the detailed roadmap necessary to ensure credibility and guide execution.

By mastering these three levels, you can tailor your communication to inspire stakeholders while maintaining clarity and focus. Avoid the mistake of using the wrong level for the audience or situation, which can lead to confusion or disengagement.

Conclusion

Transforming vision statements into actionable, inspiring frameworks requires more than polished language. By embracing a three-level approach, you can align your team, inspire stakeholders, and chart a credible path to the future. Choose the right level of vision for the right moment, and you’ll not only communicate your aspirations—you’ll make them a reality.

November 10, 2024

Jaded Staff: Why Past Corporate Change Projects Could Be the Issue

As a leader, you likely have ambitious goals for your team. But the more you share your vision, the more resistance you seem to face. So, how do you move beyond jaded staff members and their skeptical responses to new futures?

A Real-World Example: Jamaica’s Key Challenges

In a recent discussion among thought leaders, three major issues emerged as Jamaica’s toughest challenges: crime, literacy, and high energy costs. Yet, they also agreed that the public is jaded, worn out from unmet expectations and dashed dreams. Like employees in many organizations, there’s a deep-seated cynicism that has taken hold.

For CEOs and government leaders, the typical response has been to “stay positive” or “push harder.” However, when there’s a legacy of failure, these well-meaning platitudes can often make things worse.

Let’s explore this dynamic through Vision 2030 Jamaica, a national development plan that, despite its initial inspirational promise, has become a barrier to achieving new aspirations.

A Picture-Perfect Start

Recently, the Prime Minister announced that Jamaica is unlikely to achieve “developed country” status by 2030. News outlets highlighted this as a failure of Vision 2030, the nation’s first comprehensive National Development Plan. However, there’s a deeper, more complex story here.

When Vision 2030 was introduced in 2009, it was an exemplary initiative by the standards of that time. The effort achieved something rare: bipartisan hope, even during the global financial crisis. Other countries, as well as the United Nations, took note, asking Jamaica for guidance on how to foster broad participation and consensus.

Today, with the benefit of hindsight, we can see the gaps in how Vision 2030 was managed. This isn’t surprising with 20-20 hindsight—leaders today are way more knowledgeable and experienced than they were 15 years ago. But more importantly, this plan, which once inspired, has become an obstacle to future goals. Why?

Why All Projects Need a Decisive Closure

If you’ve led a team through change, you may have wondered why your staff remains skeptical, despite your best efforts. Here’s a potential explanation for why cynicism persists.

Imagine a scenario: a boyfriend who cheats once may not repeat the mistake. But if he never apologizes or makes amends, the relationship suffers, even if his partner doesn’t speak up.

The same principle applies here: any Jamaican government aiming to promise a bright future must confront Vision 2030’s shortcomings. This is also true for all the organizations that contributed to its creation, including NGOs, businesses, political parties, and community groups.

Consequently, avoiding a confrontation with Vision 2030 would be a mistake. Any promising vision for the future must build on the successes and address the shortcomings of this plan. Here’s how to approach this task.

Resetting or Retiring an Organization’s Vision

Just as a relationship marred by betrayal needs to be reset or ended, a corporate vision sometimes needs a refresh or complete halt. Using Vision 2030 as a guide, here are steps to consider:

1. Acknowledge Both Successes and Failures

– Begin by reaching a consensus on what went well and what didn’t. This fosters learning and promotes transparency.

2. Reset or Retire the Vision

– With a shared understanding, decide together whether to rejuvenate the vision or move on altogether. This buy-in is critical.

3. Establish a New Horizon

– After addressing past shortcomings, use the renewed energy and insights to set a fresh, achievable goal.

“The truth will set you free” is more than a cliché. Embracing hard-earned lessons often strengthens an organization, just as scar tissue becomes tougher than uninjured skin. In Jamaica’s case, celebrating some achievements of Vision 2030 may help lay the groundwork for future progress.

For instance, one of Vision 2030’s significant contributions has been the integration of monitoring practices across government entities. This has fostered a disciplined reporting system among over 100 government organizations and affects more than 100,000 civil servants. This level of alignment is rare, even in exemplary private sector companies.

Your leadership team should appreciate this capability, as it’s an essential foundation for any future large-scale initiative. Without such discipline, major change efforts would struggle to gain traction in Jamaica.

Vision 2030 has created a powerful engine for transformation, one that shouldnt be ignored or downplayed. Neither should it be reinvented. As such, any brand new national vision, such as one for 2060, is bound to falter without first addressing the strengths and weaknesses of its parent: Vision 2030.

It’s natural for C-suite leaders or board members to feel impatient and want to leave past challenges behind. But bypassing these issues isn’t the answer. By addressing and learning from previous failures, leaders can transform their teams’ skepticism into optimism and create a pathway toward genuine, lasting change.

In short, to move forward, embrace a clear-eyed look at what has come before. For leaders dealing with jaded staff, acknowledging past disappointments is a necessary key to unlocking a motivated, engaged workforce, ready to tackle the future.

This article is based on a Jamaica Gleaner column from November 10, 2024.

September 29, 2024

Master Planning for Complex Organizations: A New Approach to Achieve Exceptional Outcomes

If you’re part of a large public-sector organization or a multi-divisional private company, you probably operate within a framework of a “master plan.” This overarching strategy is meant to guide your organization towards its long-term objectives. Yet, despite the hard work, key milestones and targets may still be missed. How can you ensure that your organization achieves significant, measurable results?

In the case of Jamaica’s Vision 2030, the top priorities are clear: establishing Jamaica as a preferred place to live, driving economic growth, and reducing crime. These priorities are fundamental components of Jamaica’s strategic vision. But despite progress in some areas, many still feel that these indicators have not improved significantly at the ground level.

There’s still time to make headway, but achieving these goals before 2031 begins requires overcoming fundamental obstacles. These objectives are ambitious because they necessitate collaboration across various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), each of which was structured during a time when objectives were simpler and more siloed. Bridging these organizational gaps is challenging, but a new approach to master planning offers a pathway forward.

Master Planning in a New Context

The concept of “master planning” dates back to urban development projects of the 1950s, where the goal was to unite stakeholders from diverse fields to create a shared, long-term vision. This vision might span 10, 20, or even 50 years. Once the overarching vision was clear, cross-functional teams could then develop actionable plans—short, mid, and long-term projects that would turn vision into reality.

In recent years, however, master planning has evolved, often influenced by external consultants. These outsiders offer a streamlined approach, claiming that their expertise and global experience can produce superior plans. In practice, consultants often interview key stakeholders, gather perspectives, and compile these into a comprehensive document. While the final report may appear impressive, it often amounts to little more than a wishlist, lacking the practical decisions and prioritization needed to move from strategy to execution.

This brings us to a crucial insight: effective master planning cannot be outsourced. Instead, it must come from within, led by the organization’s own top leadership. Consultants can provide guidance and support, but the real work—deciding which projects to pursue, setting timelines, and allocating budgets—must be done by those who are most committed to the organization’s success.

Master Planning on Steroids: A Bold New Approach

Dwight D. Eisenhower famously said, “Plans are nothing; planning is everything.” The real power of master planning lies not in the document itself, but in the process of bringing leaders together to make tough decisions. This is the core of what we might call “Master Planning on Steroids.”

This approach is not about generating a long list of aspirational goals. Instead, it requires assembling the organization’s top leaders, putting them in a room with the data, and challenging them to make hard choices together. Rather than outsourcing difficult decisions to consultants, the organization’s key stakeholders must confront these choices head-on, weighing priorities and making the necessary trade-offs.

The reality is that this kind of intense, collaborative planning can be emotionally and mentally taxing. However, it’s essential. Consultants might create polished reports with recommendations for “more capacity” or “enhanced resources,” but these generalized solutions often sidestep the most crucial decisions. In contrast, Master Planning on Steroids forces leaders to reach consensus on specific projects, resources, and timelines.

An important advantage of this approach is its immediate applicability. Because the leaders are already aligned on priorities and resources, implementation can begin as soon as the plan is finalized. This prevents the usual delays associated with lengthy approval processes and keeps momentum alive.

Implementing a Master Plan with Staying Power

In the public sector, maintaining momentum on strategic initiatives can be particularly challenging. Political changes, reorganization within ministries, or disruptions like pandemics can derail even the most well-laid plans. Therefore, Master Planning on Steroids is as much about change management as it is about strategy.

For example, a comprehensive strategy to reduce crime in Jamaica would require collaboration across several ministries, including National Security, Education, and Social Security. By using a backcasting approach—starting with the desired future outcomes and working backward to the present—leaders can outline clear, actionable projects with defined timelines, budgets, and resource allocations. This approach also includes identifying existing initiatives that may need to be discontinued to make room for higher-priority projects.

Achieving buy-in from all stakeholders is critical. When leaders are involved in the decision-making process, they are more likely to be committed to the plan’s success. Difficult, face-to-face discussions among peers foster a sense of ownership that cannot be created through an outsourced report. This ownership is crucial for ensuring that leaders do not just implement the plan, but champion it.

Creating a Culture of Accountability

Another key outcome of Master Planning on Steroids is the establishment of a culture of accountability. When leaders are deeply involved in setting priorities and making trade-offs, they are more likely to feel personally responsible for the plan’s success. This sense of responsibility drives them to monitor progress closely and make adjustments as needed, ensuring that the plan remains relevant and effective even as circumstances change.

In the end, a Master Plan on Steroids may not be bigger in terms of aspirations. Its strength lies in its grounded, actionable nature, which is far more likely to yield tangible results. Leaders who engage in this process are not just following a blueprint—they are creating a path forward that they are fully committed to pursuing.

A Roadmap to Remarkable Results

For any large organization, especially in the public sector, achieving breakthrough results requires more than a list of goals. It demands a disciplined, hands-on approach that prioritizes collaboration, accountability, and adaptability. Master Planning on Steroids provides this framework, turning strategy into action and vision into reality.

September 15, 2024

Avoiding Bad Strategy and Fake Retreats

Imagine: You are a newly minted executive in a strategic planning project and notice that a single, strong person is hijacking the process. They are intelligent, but should you be relieved, or dismayed, as they take over?

Backstory: Ever since your promotion to the C-Suite, you have eagerly anticipated your inaugural corporate planning retreat. Why? This should be the place where the most realistic, impactful discussions occur.

However, near the beginning of the workshop, everyone seems to be holding back. Then, all of a sudden, the CEO, Chair or even a hired consultant announces: “I have already figured this out.”

Unfortunately, the rest of the meeting slips into a power struggle as the hijacker attempts to persuade participants that no further deliberations are necessary. Why? He’s already given the right answer. Should you resist?

Consider that even if his reasoning is brilliant, you are now caught in a fake retreat. Here’s why.

Key Inputs Are Being Ignored

Contemplate these classic matchups:

Kodak vs. FujiFilm
Blackberry or Nokia vs. iPhone
Cable and Wireless Mobile vs. Digicel

In each competition, opposing companies prepared rival strategic plans. Today, many years later, we know that the plans on the left were failures.

From years of experience I can attest: it takes a supreme team effort to produce a plan on the right. In other words, these pre-emptive, long-term, game-changing efforts are not dreamt up by single actors.

Instead, given our complex world, they require the combined insights of subject matter experts from all parts of your company. In a strategy discussion, they bring data only they can understand.

The “strong” person who thinks today’s problems are simple is wrong. Therefore, for the sake of the organisation’s future, you must be prepared to make this point whenever your retreat slips into a one-man show. But that’s only a single way it can happen.

Another is via stonewalling. A CEO begs her team to engage in fruitful discussion, only to be met with dead silence. Her colleagues are being cautious, lazy or selfish. She’s forced to jump in to fill the gap.

Don’t let this unhappy outcome occur, either. Prepare your entire team, including the leader, for an interactive offsite beforehand.

The Most Consequential Discussions are Avoided

After a few months’ study, a new chairman has decided he has already mastered the top issues. During a retreat, he presents his agenda of topics to be discussed, selling his point of view convincingly.

However, the conversation takes a left turn. New data emerges, and the discussion heads in a direction he never anticipated. To respond, he tries to get things “back on track” but the energy has shifted. In his official role as chair, he gavels the discussion to order, using Robert’s Rules.

A revolt breaks out. Participants are convinced there is no greater priority than the current issue being discussed. Some become incensed, ready to walk out. They argue, “If this topic isn’t of strategic importance, then nothing is.”

Unfortunately, the chair is stuck following a bad process. He doesn’t understand that he’s undermining the freedom participants need to explore hard-to-appreciate problems. Without it, he’s turned a strategic planning opportunity into the wrong kind of struggle.

But what’s the right kind? If the team can focus on the hardest challenges, it could achieve the breakthrough their situation requires. However, he’d have to abandon his preset picture of success and go along with the flow.

Lack of Ownership

Ultimately, a strategic plan which fails in the above two ways will fall apart in implementation. Why? The plan won’t have the true buy-in of those who attended.

It’s a paradox. When you allow an open, messy discussion, you authorise those involved to own the outcome.

Furthermore, they’ll commit to more than you imagined, simply because you have allowed a group dynamic to build. Now they are ready for disruptive, breakthrough solutions even if it involves a personal sacrifice. They are a team.

The best approach requires your use of neutral facilitators, sourced from either inside or outside. They’ll balance the inevitable tussles a workshop is intended to stir up. It’s easier for them to do so because they don’t have a pre-set agenda.

What kind of result should they be trying to produce? Full, engaged accountability and a plan which has a high likelihood of being game-changing.

But don’t follow this advice for a “placeholder” retreat intended to preserve status quo thinking. While it will ruffle feathers, you can expect the above formula to generate superlative results.

Francis Wade is the author of Perfect Time-Based Productivity, a keynote speaker and a management consultant. To search his prior columns on productivity, strategy, engagement and business processes, send email to columns@fwconsulting.com.

September 1, 2024

Being Inspired in Public Sector Planning

As a leader in a government Ministry, Department, or Agency (MDA), you’re deeply committed to creating strategic plans that make a significant impact. However, it’s easy to get caught up in bureaucratic compliance, which can divert you from making the meaningful contributions you desire. So, how can you truly make a difference?

For those outside of government, the hundreds of pages of planning guidelines sent to MDAs may seem overwhelming, prompting the question: “How does anything get done?” Having provided strategic planning services to organisations in Jamaica for over two decades, I understand this challenge.

The guidelines are well-intentioned and represent hard work, but sometimes, a collection of good ideas doesn’t lead to a single great one. This is often the case with the instructions MDAs receive for completing their corporate business plans.

As a result, it can be tempting to simply comply with the minimum requirements, especially under the watchful eye of a demanding Permanent Secretary. Unfortunately, this approach falls short of capturing the true power and potential of strategic planning. So, as a Managing Director, CEO, or Director General, how can you create plans that truly transform our nation’s future? Here are a few strategic planning frameworks that you might not find in official documents but can make a big difference.

Engaging Employees and Stakeholders

Your organisation’s strategic plan should be more than just a document that preserves the status quo. It should serve as an opportunity to articulate a visionary future.

Consider the original intent behind Vision 2030, conceived sixteen years ago. Although there are only five years left to its conclusion, the inspiration it once provided has waned, overshadowed by bureaucratic processes. What remains are short-term targets that feel increasingly out of reach.

But remember the initial goal: to inspire citizens with a bold vision. The framers envisioned a Jamaica that would be the top choice for everyone to live in—a transformative vision during a time of recession-induced cynicism.

As a government leader, you should think beyond 2030. In your next strategic planning exercise, aim for more than just compliance.

Instead, strive for a pre-emptive, game-changing strategic plan that stands on its own. A plan with a grand vision could help you fulfil the dreams of our citizens while attracting the best minds, the bravest souls, and the hardest workers to your cause.

In other words, if your strategic plan is an opportunity to achieve great things for those in need, you’re on the right path. These individuals are likely looking for a vision and turning to you for leadership.

But don’t stop there. Some of your employees are ready to contribute more than just the minimum. This is your chance to engage them fully.

However, if being aspirational and visionary isn’t enough, consider another approach that’s more immediate.

Handling Threat Zones

As an expert in your field, you have the ability to anticipate emerging trends—trends that might be invisible to the average Jamaican citizen but are clear to you. You have strategic foresight.

More importantly, you can foresee where small threats might converge into larger, more significant challenges—what we call Threat Zones.

Take COVID-19, for example. Countries like New Zealand, South Korea, and Vietnam anticipated the pandemic and acted accordingly.

Similarly, as a leader in your MDA, you can identify approaching Threat Zones. When these arise on your radar, you should act. The best response? Develop a pre-emptive, game-changing long-term strategic plan.

Consider the meme circulating that suggests this year may be the coolest one for the rest of our lives. That it, we only have hotter days and months ahead. While you can do little to prepare Jamaica for this in the short term, a strategic plan with long-term outcomes—such as those looking ahead to 2055—could make a significant difference.

The advantage of this forward-thinking approach is that you’ll be better prepared for whatever national vision replaces the current one. Your proactive planning will benefit citizens and inspire your team to think big.

This approach can also help your team move beyond mere compliance. Now is the time for leaders to develop the kind of selfless strategic foresight that Jamaica needs.

August 18, 2024

The Power of Pre-emptive Strategic Planning

As a company leader invested in the future of your enterprise, it can be frustrating to see others content with handling issues only when they arise. How can you instill a culture of forward-thinking in your organization?

In many local organizations, strategic planning is often viewed as a luxury—an activity to be deferred until more stable times, when there’s ample time and money. For others, it’s merely a compliance exercise. Large companies and governments may conduct planning sessions just to meet requirements, with little emphasis on meaningful strategy.

In both scenarios, strategic planning is often deprioritized. The COVID-19 pandemic has further entrenched this mindset, turning strategy into a low-priority, habitual afterthought in the C-Suite. However, if you’re ready to break free from this mindset, consider adopting the concept of Threat Zones.

Defining Your Organization’s Threat Zones

A Threat Zone is a period, spanning several months or years, during which multiple threats converge. Individually, these threats might seem manageable, but together, they can create a perfect storm.

For example, a hurricane like Beryl in 2024 requires specific conditions: warm ocean waters, low vertical wind shear, high humidity, proximity to the equator, a weather disturbance, and atmospheric instability. Individually, these elements are harmless, but together, they can be catastrophic.

Similarly, a Threat Zone in an organization requires relatively innocuous elements, yet their combination can be transformative, but in the good way. Unlike hurricanes, they can also offer opportunities.

Consider Fujifilm and Kodak, which had similar revenues in 2000. However, Fuji recognized the Threat Zone emerging in the film industry, while Kodak did not. Today, Fuji’s revenue is 20 times that of its former competitor.

You might think your organization is immune to Threat Zones, but that’s a dangerous assumption. In my August 4th, 2024 Gleaner column, I highlighted the fact that even government agencies can be defunded and disbanded if they fall into this trap.

Take a lesson from Andy Grove, former Chairman of Intel. His book, “Only the Paranoid Survive”, details how Intel nearly went bankrupt in the 1980s due to a Threat Zone. Fortunately, a group of middle managers anticipated the threat and prepared the company for a switch from memory chips to microprocessors, despite Grove’s public stance.

How Can Your C-Suite Develop Foresight?

Threat Zones can be internal or external. Internal threats might include product-market fit, succession planning, and employee engagement, while external threats could involve climate change, government regulation, or inflation.

However, there’s no universal list. Your leadership team must identify which Threat Zones are relevant to your organization. Even if you bring in consultants, their help is limited; only your C-Suite can accurately determine your Threat Zones and when they might arise.

This requires rapid consideration of:

– Current trends that, while weak, cover a wide range of causes. Many start with the PESTER framework—Political, Environmental, Social, Technological, Economic, and Regulatory—but also include competitors and substitutes.

– Past results indicating long-term deficiencies that previous leadership teams have ignored, leaving them for future C-Suites.

– Insights across financial, customer, operations, and human resources. Even with incomplete data, plans must be made.

This task is too complex for any outsider or single individual, no matter their intelligence. Only a cross-functional leadership team can effectively conduct this analysis.

Planning Around Threat Zones

It’s tempting to quickly break down Threat Zones into individual threats, but resist this urge. Instead, use long-term strategic planning tools to tackle each one as an entity.

After identifying and assessing the impact and timing of Threat Zones, select no more than five to focus on. These should represent the most significant dangers or opportunities.

When crafting your long-term vision for a specific year (e.g., 2050), start with a narrative that addresses these five zones. Only then should you translate the vision into measurable targets.

As you work backward from these 2050 metrics to the present, create projects that address each zone. Define each project to include immediate actions.

Now, you’ll be taking pre-emptive action with a strategic plan that is game-changing.