As I walked into the office of a new client, the owner greeted me and quickly brought me to their war room. This conference room had all of their strategic goals and objectives plastered on the walls. I counted eleven goals for 2018. As I waited in the room for others to assemble, I realized that their strategy was about busyness not a business and it was clear, they were drowning.
How can anyone have eleven strategic goals?
It is easy to get caught in the deluge of demands, but without focus, a company will slip under the waves. No company can pay attention to so many strategic initiatives. It was clear that they needed a simple exercise to help them find their path forward. They were swimming in PowerPoint presentations that went on endlessly.
I had a different idea.
Don’t Confuse Busy with Focused
I gave the team who joined us $20 each to spend on the eleven initiatives.
They could place it all on one or divide it equally. The symbolic $20 forced them to place a bet and throw a lifesaver where they believed it would make the most significant difference.
After thirty minutes, a pattern emerged. The team bet 80% of the money on just three initiatives.
Through this simple exercise, everyone realized that if they focused on those core goals, they would achieve their financial objectives. Their $20 represent money and time for their staff. Instead of swimming upstream, they could go with the flow and focus their resources toward just a handful of targets.
Choosing what to focus on is the job of a management team and the CEO. Without placing bets on just a few areas, the company looks busy but isn’t accomplishing anything. Like a swimmer flailing in the water, you can’t make progress if everyone is splashing separately.
Are you busy in a pool of indecision?
Is your strategy underwater? Is it focused? Are your goals clear? You can set up a time to chat using my calendar. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com Call me. 919 720 0995. The conversation is free and we can explore if working together makes sense. Try my new chat feature on my site if you have a quick question.
Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash
