13 Elements of a Great Strategy
“A vision without a strategy remains an illusion.”
Lee Bolman
Key Points
By Frank Sonnenberg
1. Objective---Is the objective clearly defined, and is it based on a realistic view of the marketplace?
2. Knowledge---Is the strategy based on superior knowledge of your customer, marketplace, and competition and a realistic assessment of your own capabilities?
3. Initiative---Does the strategy enable you to set the pace in the field and jump ahead of the competition?
4. Mass---Are you focusing your efforts in those areas that provide the greatest opportunity?
5. Economy---Are resources being economically and prudently deployed?
6. Flexibility---Does the strategy enable you to shift resources easily if required? Will the organization be able to react quickly to rapidly changing circumstances?
7. Unity of Leadership---Is everyone working in unison to achieve a common goal? If you ask fifteen people where the organization is heading, will you receive fifteen different responses?
8. Security---Are plans being kept secret? Is it clear which information has to be kept secure?
9. Surprise---Will you strike the competition when and where it’s least prepared? Do you have enough speed and competitive intelligence to prevent competitors from following your lead?
10. Simplicity---Is the strategy as simple as it can be? Have you reduced any potential for misunderstanding?
11. Speed---Can you mobilize “forces” at will? Do bureaucracy, consensus management, undefined responsibility, and political infighting reduce your ability to move quickly?
12. Communication---Has the strategy been made available to those who need to know? Have individual responsibility and accountability been assigned?
13. Commitment---Does everyone feel a part of the initiative and passionate about achieving its goals? Or do just a few people “own” the initiative?
Additional Reading
Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters by Richard Rumelt
Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works by A. G. Lafley & Roger L. Martin
Points of Reflection
“Success is 20% skills and 80% strategy. You might know how to succeed, but more importantly, what’s your plan to succeed?”
Jim Rohn
“Good tactics can save even the worst strategy. Bad tactics will destroy even the best strategy.”
General George S. Patton Jr.