Have you subscribed to my new newsletter, The Space Between on LinkedIn?
In the first issue, I talk about my comment on this LinkedIn post where I raise the issue of how often organisations confuse having a strategy with having a way of making decisions.
One of the unintended consequences of having a strategy, is that almost anything can be made to look as though it supports it. I've sat in enough meetings over the years to know that if somebody is passionate enough about a particular initiative, they'll usually find a strategic objective that appears to justify it.
The problem is that strategic alignment and organisational benefit aren't necessarily the same thing.
Projects gain momentum because they sounded exciting, because they had a persuasive sponsor, or because nobody wanted to be the person asking awkward questions.
That's why I've always had a soft spot for action plans and risk registers because they force a different conversation:
- Who's accountable?
- What are we stopping in order to do this?
- What assumptions are we making?
- What does success actually look like?
- What happens if we're wrong?
To stop organisations disappearing down expensive rabbit holes, the best discussions expose wishful thinking, encourage common sense and are supported by good governance and robust planning.