Slow Down to Speed Up: How Strategy Enables Agility
A lot of people are going nowhere, fast.
In today's fast-moving business world, companies need to be quick, flexible, and agile to stay ahead. However, to achieve this, you first need to spend time on thorough strategic planning and make sure all departments understand the company’s direction and goals. This groundwork allows for faster and more independent decision-making without causing confusion, contradictions or conflicting priorities.
Why Strategic Planning Matters
Strategic planning involves understanding market needs, deciding on which consumers to serve and how to serve them, and finally setting clear goals for what to achieve.
This plan acts as a roadmap for the entire company, making sure everyone is aligned and working towards the same objectives. But remember what Thomas Edison said, “vision without execution is just hallucination”.
Breaking Down Silos
For a company to be truly agile, all departments must understand the overall goals. This alignment ensures that each team’s efforts contribute to the company’s vision, breaking down barriers between departments and encouraging better communication and collaboration. These elements are crucial for quick and informed decision-making.
Enabling Independent Decisions
When everyone in the company knows the strategic goals, teams can make decisions on their own that align with the company’s direction. This independence speeds up decision-making and reduces the need for constant approvals from higher-ups. Employees feel more confident to take initiative, knowing that their actions support the company’s goals.
As Peter Drucker famously said, "There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all." Without a clear direction, even the fastest and most efficient actions can be futile.
Taking the time to plan strategically is not a barrier to agility; it’s the key that makes quick, flexible, and independent action possible.
Here’s how to make it happen:
Set Aside Time for Thorough Strategy Work: Conduct an honest diagnosis, analyze the current state, and define the desired future state.
Communicate the Strategy Clearly Across Departments: Make sure that everyone understands the company’s direction and goals to create alignment and foster collaboration. Prioritize simple and easy to understand language, not all people have the same background.
Enable Teams to Make Independent Decisions: Equip teams with the knowledge and confidence to make decisions that align with the overall strategy, reducing the need for constant approvals.
Slow down to speed up – invest in strategic planning to reach the right destination.