Tag Archives: strategy
Communicating Your Strategy
…The reality of the situation is that a very hard part is still ahead of you. Until you are able to distill the resulting strategy into a clear and concise set of messages that can rally people around the future, motivate them to take action, and self direct their behavior to support the strategic vision, my guess is that all you have is a lot of hard work driven by good intentions. Continue reading
The “How” of Your Strategy
After you have finished with defining strategic intents of your organization, defined the goals you are going to reach, established the operating principles to define your key positions, and values you will work by, you come to where the rubber meets the road – defining how you get all of this done… Continue reading
Values – The Softer Side of Strategy
…Powerful words. They set the stage for big things to come, especially when everyone believes in these values and they cause people to take actions toward a unified set of goals – or more importantly, drive an organization to a desired set of behaviors. Continue reading
Operating Principles – Taking The Positions Which Guide Strategy
IT Strategy ultimately will align the efforts of the IT Organization with that of the enterprise. Determining the operating principles of the organization will foundationally drive this alignment, and determine the initiatives which will be required as part of this alignment. Continue reading
Goals – Making Your IT Strategy Real
…I encourage you to apply this simple test to your IT strategy. Do you precisely know when you are successful? If not, either your goals are not defined, or are not tight enough. You invest a lot of time with not only developing your IT Strategy, but in directing the actions of your entire organization based on your strategy. Your goals will ground and focus you. Continue reading
Strategic Intent – IT Strategy’s Business Alignment
…When you align your must-do initiatives with business intents (strategy or direction) the first realization is that you now have a North Star for driving your IT organization. The next realization is that the funding mechanism for your organization becomes very clear. Continue reading
Playing to Win
I see many sports organizations consistently, year after year, playing to win – as opposed to playing to not lose. They will make the extra effort to ensure they have the right players are in place, but much more than that they will ensure the management talent is in place. They will have extensive recruiting networks, deep management talent at all levels (both at the professional and feeder teams), and cultivate a culture of success throughout the organization. In short, they have made the conscious decision to “play to win.” Continue reading