“Oh, so you do the grunt work.” That was the response I received on a call after explaining my work to a strategy advisor.
My reply? “Call it whatever you want, but strategy only works when there is execution and that’s a critical part of the process.”
Why is execution such a struggle? As leaders, we have already spent a good deal of time and mental energy in the strategic planning stage. When a transformation is announced, it’s Day 1 for the teams involved. They’ll need time to process if there is any change for your strategy being executed according to plan. Here are a few ideas to foster excitement and momentum…
Build Trust Telling the story of how the strategy came to be is not a “nice to have”; it’s a critical component that needs to trickle down to the frontlines doing the work. When you talk about the challenges and insights that came up during the journey, teams want to hear more. Explain what it means for the team – their workload, goals, and success. Your leadership, influence, and alignment will ultimately prevent confusion in the long run. High leverage with low lift!
Turn Skeptics into Advocates Enthusiasm will build when progress is seen and celebrated. These victories will keep the light at the end of the tunnel bright. Identify a few achievable milestones that make daily work easier for the team. Early wins prove the transformation is working. Then celebrate these early victories. Bonus: Creating a feedback loop with you and other leaders gives the team ownership and gives you insight.
Fuel the Effort Team members will often be taking on additional work during a transformation. The work can be hard at times. Create an environment that supports incentives. They don’t have to be expensive but need to make people feel seen.
I once ran a firm-wide cost saving initiative. We wanted to hear from all levels of the company, so I decided to send those who submitted a 100 Grand or Payday candy bar. Word got around and the suggestions doubled in number.
For another project I ran, the team was really struggling to get back on track, so it was in “red status” for weeks. When they finally turned green, I gave the team green lanyards to use for their security badges. They wore them like a badge of honor and hit their “impossible” regulatory requirement date.
Execution isn’t the grunt work. It’s what turns your powerful strategy into measurable impact. The key is to understand how critical the discipline of execution is to transformation. The best strategies don’t fail because they’re wrong; they fail because the organization never fully engages in carrying them out.
If you’ve got the strategy but not the bandwidth to drive it across the finish line, let’s talk. I love the “grunt work”!
