Thinking vs. acting: On the myth of strategic planning

There is a familiar dilemma in many companies: strategy work often falls by the wayside while the competition is already reaching milestones. But how can you break this vicious circle and finally move forward successfully? In this blog post, I would like to address the challenges that strategy managers face and show ways in which a more consistent focus and effective strategy implementation can be achieved.

The pitfalls of strategic planning:

Imagine the following scenario:

The CEO calls a strategic meeting to forge the right plan and finally set off successfully. But confusion arises as soon as the participants are selected. The usual suspects are appointed, but important managers from the areas of sales and marketing are missing. What’s more, they are discussing something that doesn’t even exist: “strategic planning”.

There is a fundamental misunderstanding here. It can either be a strategic design, i.e. a promising target state, or a plan for the step-by-step implementation of the strategy. Both cannot be dealt with at the same time.

The success quadrant: strategic implementation speed

The strategic implementation speed is the real success quadrant of a company. To achieve this, it is essential to think“beyond horizon” and develop a clear vision that is different from what is being done today. Only with a clear vision and belief in it can companies successfully break new ground and accelerate implementation.

Strategic progress

Strategic work requires a continuous assessment of progress. It is not only about long-term results, but also about daily tasks. Strategy managers should regularly look at the relevant progress indicators that show whether they are getting closer to the strategic target. In dialog with the business unit managers, not only should operational key figures be discussed, but also the few decisive variables that provide information on progress.