An entrepreneur who sticks to his or her strategy. It sounds so nice and powerful from the (digital) soapbox: “stick to the strategy”. Is that still of this time?
Organizations nowadays have to be agile. After each milestone you rethink the course. Implementing a strategy mainly involves testing and adjusting. Fast and short-cycle. Creativity, innovation and adoption are crucial.
Enthusiasm
Many entrepreneurs tell me with enthusiasm and bravado about everything they want to achieve. Often no lack of ambition! The employees are happy with the vision, guts and decisiveness of their leader. If I continue to ask hów they want to achieve those goals, it often becomes a lot quieter. Or I hear a deluge of ideas and initiatives. A small check with the employees then yields a great diversity of opinions. Opinions about what their company’s strategy is; hów that challenging mission and objectives will be realized.
Many entrepreneurs want to conquer the same market. And all equally passionate and full of good intentions. Why does one work and the other fail? This often has to do with a smart plan; a sophisticated strategy. Doing business slightly differently from the competition. This does not always have to be in grand and compelling things. Ease of use of the software, really service-oriented people in the front line, clear and smooth marketing and communication, a method of financing, a (patented) design of the product, valuable cooperation partners, attention for a specific target group.
Unique
Just a few examples; inspiration for your own strategy. Write down with which few distinctive strategies you want to conquer the world. What makes your company unique? Unique to the competition and unique to the customer. Brainstorm about it with your employees, your customers and the people around you. Test ideas, working methods, products and services. Keep what works and stop what doesn’t. Gradually something of a unique formula emerges; the winning formula of your company!
Make sure everyone in your company is on the same page. That everyone knows, understands and applies that formula, your unique strategy. In many markets it is not easy to find such a position. And it will certainly take you a lot of effort and time. Count your blessings when you reach that unique position. Enjoy the success. And yes, ‘stick to the strategy’! Not static, not reactive. But agile. Keep your eyes open for new opportunities, new technologies, different competitors, unexplored markets, unexpected market developments.
Continuously fine-tune and improve your strategy. So that you still have a head start on the competition the day after tomorrow and you are relevant in the market.