Ducks in a Row

Getting joined up on the important things

I’m amazed at how often the senior management in an organisation are not joined up, particularly about the most important things.

Chief among these is deciding and communicating internally their long-term vision for the business they lead. Often you hear a different perspective from different Directors. Second amongst them, the point of difference in the product or service which creates the organisations’ long-term value, should provide its focus for investment, motivate their staff to get out of bed in the morning and give everyone a sense of clarity and purpose.

At the very least, leaders should be clear and agreed on these two critical vectors of strategy and able to communicate them clearly and consistently down and across the business.

It is more difficult than it sounds to be clear about them but worth the effort as a board to take time to debate and consider both, reach consensus and then work in a joined-up way to deliver on both. The process of achieving clarity is likely to involve some heated debates but no organisation will thrive in the long term without it.