... I was at a meeting recently where an executive of one of the biggest companies in the world outlined the strategic vision for me...
She said, whilst scribbling on a whiteboard...
"This is meant to be a boat, because we have embarked on a quest, but, we don;t know the destination..."
Seriously?
I said:
"So here's an idea, build a huge great cruise ship, and advertise a cruise which costs you your career, your reputation, your ability to pay the mortgage (which is sort of the risk we take as employees)... then go out in the street and try and sell tickets to a cruise with no destination..."
They all looked at me blankly
sigh
Yes, I quite agree - IF that's the end result!
However... IF this was a meeting of the team that needs to lead the process to clarify where the boat is heading and what the journey might be like, AND it's a 'closed' discussion....
then how refreshingly honest and healthy such a statement could be in a 'safe and trusted environment' - a recognition that there was vital work to be done, discussions to be had, people to be engaged, options and scenarios to be considered, the whole journey of thinking, talking, and involving that organisations need to go through before they can achieve a clear and common understanding of where they want to get to and what they need to do to try and achieve this.
Of course, unlike you I wasn't there (so can only surmise that the context might possibly be thus) - but for other situations this might well be the moment of honest organisational self-realisation that leads to a healthier strategy than a gloss-over top-down PR exercise!
(But I'm biased - as a guide to many organisations on 'strategy journeys' I'm open to giving them the benefit of the doubt until shown otherwise!)
Posted by: David Booth | 18 February 2011 at 22:29