For the past number of years we have been talking about how everything needs to start with the Customer in mind and that if they aren’t considered in everything you do, you are missing the point. After all, our favorite phrase is, “How can you ignore the primary group that ‘writes you checks’ when trying to figure out how to run your organization?” And “Writes you checks” is a very broad term, including both “for profit” and “not-for-profit” organizations, including the government.
Another key we have talked about is how to make strategy “Executable.” So often we come across organizations that say they have the strategy component figured out when, upon further investigation, they only have half of it figured out. They created the strategy but didn’t really spend the time to figure out how they are going to execute it – consistently and in detail every day over the next several years. To us, building the strategy is only the start. If the strategy is not “Executable” and the plans aren’t put in place to accomplish this, why waste the time building it? We have built strategies for a number of companies over the years and I have to admit, not all of them took it to the Executable state. This is unfortunate.
However, in an effort to help you get there and to emphasize some key points that tie directly to our thinking about “Executable” strategy and the Customer, I found an excellent article I would encourage everyone to read. The article is titled, “Linking Execution With Strategy in Support Functions,” by Robert Angel. In a nutshell, he focuses on different support functions inside the organization and how they are not generally linked to the strategy and as such don’t focus on strategic initiatives that add value. We see this all the time and when we developed our Customer Experience Mapping methodology, that was exactly the intent, linking strategy and the customer experience to all departments and their key business processes. Robert stated early on, “More recently, strategy has regained some of its lustre in addressing these same questions by providing a point of reference in the midst of the twists and turns of rapid market change. Companies must foster innovation because cost cutting is no longer a competitive advantage – but differentiating customer experience is.” Couldn’t have said it better myself.
He goes on to say, “Creating really good strategy is not a trivial task. Moreover, it can be all for nothing if the execution is flawed. ” He then offered a key quote by Peter Drucker, “creating and serving customers profitably is the central purpose of most organizations.” WOW, this guy really has it figured out. A couple of other key comments he made were, “When internal objectives outweigh customers’ objectives, innovation and competitive advantage are early casualties. Are the support functions being left behind on such measures? Customers should be at the heart of execution value for all parts of the organization. For support groups, “customer” also refers to the organization’s customer-facing departments who are in effect their primary customers.”
I have only given you a snippet of what the article is about. I would encourage you read the entire article and you will leave thinking differently about your strategy and why building and “Executable” one is so vital for your organization. I think Robert did a great job of pointing out the value of not “window dressing” the strategy of your organization but taking it through execution in ALL areas of the organization – support functions included.
Blaine Millet
