How To Get Your Strategy Off The Shelf

It’s tempting to try to change the reality of something by simply changing what we call it. When I want to feel better about eating a bucket of fries slathered in ketchup, I tell myself I’m eating fruits and vegetables.

But changing the words doesn’t always change the reality.

I’ve known several nonprofit leaders who were worried that their new strategic plan would not be implemented. That it would “sit on a shelf” and not show up in the daily activities of the teams who needed to implement it.

Their solution: add the word “execution” to the title of the document.

Suddenly, instead of having a 3-Year Roadmap, they had a 3-Year Execution Roadmap. Or a Strategic Execution Plan. Or simply (and darkly) an Execution Plan.

Any change in team behavior at that point is most likely attributed to the veiled threat in the document’s title.

If you want to see your plans incarnated in the daily work of your teams, there’s a better way. Here are three quick tips:

• Quarterly Objectives: Divide your long-term plan into relevant, measurable quarterly objectives, focusing on a few to avoid overload.

• Accountability: Identify who’s accountable for each priority and who must support the accountable person.

• Communication: Make sure everyone in the organization can summarize the multi-year plan and how the quarterly priorities support it. This requires creating an intentional rhythm of clear and compelling communication.

Have a great week!