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WHERE TO FISH?5/29/2023 Two Saturdays ago, we went out fishing on a lake near us. We went for the first few hours to the favorite spot where we usually, I would say 75% of the time catch fish. There were bites but nothing moved much. We got one fish, that's all. So we decided , us ladies to get to the next part of the lake, where the guys were not that keen. But of course, having been out for a while, we wanted to get more action. So we went, and after another hour or so, no bites, no fish, nothing. My father-in-law said that maybe we should just trawl and see what's inside these waters. So we did, and we caught two by just crisscrossing the lake going back to the same old original spot that we had earlier. Back to the same spot, we waited for an hour and a half. No bites, no fish this time. Everybody immediately agreed, that maybe we should just trawl. Trawling is an accidental success that we should maximize. Sure thing, we trawled to the farthest left and to the farthest right section of the lake, but lo and behold, no fish. It was getting late and it was time to go home. Positioning is important. I recall what one business trainer would lecture that, "It's all about positioning." What do you do when there's no bite? Do you move around to get to where your customers might congregate, perhaps a watering hole or a hub? Do you modify your strategies for outreach? Do you sit tight until new opportunities arise for you to take advantage of? Patient waiting, positioning, and creative outreach. That will get you your fish and lots of them. The key is to move around and not get stale.
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When all the processes of strategy formulation is completed, and now, voila, you have it in a nice two-ring binder for everyone to see. Congratulate yourself for a job well done. After the communications campaign is launched and the implementation starts, four things can happen and you are the best judge for it as the main executive tasked with spearheading this project. 1. There are no changes to be done as everything that went into the strategy document suits the rest of reality that follows. If you believe that you have a perfect document, very well. Let' see in the next few months. 2. There are minor revisions that will need to adjusted, mainly the baseline data, the situational assessments, the analysis for which the decisions were based. These elements are ordinarily monitored, assessed, and adjusted as the strategy moves forward. 3. Major disruption that derailed or almost decapitated the strategy. There was a change in the whole landscape of the organization, internally, in terms of capacity, interests, and aspirations such as a leadership vacuum due to a leadership and management crisis, a situation where a major funder has pulled out creating a huge financial burden, and other internal stakeholder issues that would derail the implementation or compromise its chances of success. Another example of a external threat to the strategy was the COVID19 pandemic which based on many accounts, left many purpose-driven organizations without an anchor for 6-12 months just operating and surviving. Not even thinking about growth strategy or change initiatives. 4. The strategy is useless, unimplementable, a mirage in a desert. Well, this is the worst kind of realization that can happen after a 6-12 month process. It could happen to any organization without having to think too much. Say for example, you have a totally new Board, a totally new executive team, a totally new set of staff and leaders, no budget for implementation and the previous leaders who put this together bid sayonara with you nothing to work on. The new leadership could not, will not, assume accountability and responsibility, and have no will power or creativity or simply felt powerless to enact anything other what they created. Best scenario is to reduce this to a doable strategy that could work in new circumstances. Keep it real and simple. These four scenarios are real-life hurdles neatly disguised in confused state- aka what makes you sleepless at night. Besides the initial worry about not going smoothly as planned, there are always options and alternatives. Talk to your Board. Consult the experts in this area. Read what others have done in your sector. Confer with colleagues. And lastly, the smartest way is to learn from the mistakes of others.
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PERFORMATIVE STRATEGY10/14/2022 How many organizations have strategies that are unimplemented? You will never know unless you get inside the cubicle. This is not just prevalent in the profit sector, not for profit organizations are as well not implementing their strategies. I question this: if the strategies are not implemented, why are they expending their staff time and managerial attention on something that will not be used at all? There is simply no logic to this! When I asked an Executive Director why not? The answer I got was: "We just make this because of our funders. We have to wait for the funding cycle to begin to really create a strategy that will restructure the way we work. For now, it will be just a transitional one." Fair enough. I get the point of transitional strategy. Emergent design is what the current climate calls. Managers and executives must adapt to the rigors and demands of modern organizations where supply chain issues, financing and sustainability, climate and diversity challenges, impact day-to-day decisions. But non-implementation is a totally different issue. I vehemently challenge the notion of doing something for something else's and not for the benefit of the creator. What drives this performative action is a culture of obligation, 'looking good,' and conformity. In my book Provocateurs, I discussed how the culture of conformity creates conditions for organizations to punish early-warning signs of problems and issues, which leads to you know, failures. The same culture of conformity outlaws innovation, creativity, and simply rebellious thinking that shifts control and power. Your donors do not know you're doing this. Probably, I bet, that this practice is not something that is generally accepted and outwardly legitimized. But because this is what's happening, I also bet that this is not a one-off deal. More organizations are acting this way despite what management books are saying. Practice defines organizations. Tell me who's not implementing their strategy, and I will tell you there's more to the strategy than meets the eye. |