PowerPoint lures many a finely-honed strategy into its lair, where it then suffocates all life from it.
And the ugliest of those deaths even have spreadsheets copied into the slide decks.
PowerPoints give us a feeling of having structured something. Given it shape. Made a declaration.
Add a spreadsheet, and now we have data! With a strategy informed by data, what could go wrong?
None of that brings it to life.
In too many companies, including ones I’ve led, strategy comes to a juddering halt once the headiness of preparing and presenting is done. It’s the thrill of having signed up for the gym membership with no plan on how to go 3 times a week.
What I don’t see is a tangible plan following up, i.e. what my team and I are actually going to \*do\* this week, and next, and the one beyond that.
It’s as if getting it onto the slide deck is “job done”. And sadly, many CEOs treat it that way – simply move on and hope the team magically executes.
To be fair, in some companies, strategy may rear its head again in the odd leadership team meeting. “What are we doing about increasing recurring revenue?”. “What initiatives have we got to make this a great place to work?”.
But it remains vague. And most of all, it remains inconsistent.
If your strategy is to come to life, you need an implementation engine behind it which provides clarity, creates momentum, and allows you to course correct as you go without derailing the whole thing.
And there are ways to make this happen.
How we can support you
- Join us on a workshop on how to scale your company; create time to focus on the bigger picture; and keep values and purpose core to your company. For max 5 CEOs of companies with revenues between £1.5m and £15m.
- Subscribe to our Bite-Sized Business Tips - thought snippets for values-centred business leaders. Every few days, a short focussed read on a specific topic of how to lead a company that values both profit and purpose.
- Talk to us to explore how we can help you scale your company in the direction you want to take it.