How can leaders approach strategic planning in an agile world?
While three- and five-year visions can help inform strategic planning, a static multi-year strategic plan can limit an organization’s ability to experiment and grow. As business conditions and environments continue to rapidly shift, agile strategies enable organizations to respond to input from internal and external stakeholders and evolve with change. Dynamic strategies also allow leaders to embrace iteration and make small experimental changes that align with the broader vision and to change course when needed instead of rigidly clinging to a set plan.
The experts in this EXLEARN Talks episode discuss the importance of co-creating agile strategies in alignment with leaders from across the organization and being comfortable with discomfort, understanding that an agile approach means embracing uncertainty while guiding teams with purpose and clarity. They provide insight on the following questions:
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- 8:37: What’s your unique point of view on establishing organizational strategy or a common misunderstanding when it comes to strategy?
- 12:15: How might leaders approach developing strategies differently in an agile world?
- 21:26: How can leaders navigate the tension between staying the course or pivoting their strategy?
- 26:28: How can leaders set up data and measurement systems that indicate when they should change course or pivot their strategy?
- 35:09: What mindsets should leaders who are leading and executing strategy embrace in an agile world?
- 43:34: What common mistakes or fatal flaws should leaders be aware of that might indicate that a strategy or process isn’t working?
- 51:06: To avoid having their strategy live in a binder on the shelf, how can leaders execute on strategies and maintain momentum once the initial strategic planning and vision forecasting sessions are over?
Highlights from the Panelists:
“In the past, strategy was directly linked to a three- or five-year [plan], and I feel like those are really visions. You can have a vision that far out, but the world is changing at an exponential rate… As part of an agile world, when we see an indicator that indicates we need to pivot [and] we need to be flexible, we’re going to collaborate and we’re going to react and do that, which means we’re going to stop doing something very quickly in an agile space if it’s not working and it’s not getting results. We’re not going to hang on to it because this is our five-year strategy.”
– Jen Bailey, Principal at TiER1 Performance
“We’ve talked a lot about the tension and living in that tension. One thing to think about with strategy is just naming it and claiming it, like this is uncomfortable… It’s meant to be uncomfortable. We’re not going to know all the answers all the time and we’re going to have to live with that as leaders as we’re trying to make choices that spread throughout the organization.”
– Kirsten Clark, Senior Solutions Consultant at TiER1 Performance
“[A strategy is] always an experiment. From the agile perspective, the [challenge is breaking a strategy] down so that it’s still directionally correct toward the vision but we [can] make shorter, smaller experiments. If you think of a traditional agile approach, [often] two weeks is the time frame. That’s probably too tight for some strategies, but [it’s important] to be aware of the tension. You never know until it’s too late. Should I have stuck with it longer or am I just off course [because] the market or circumstance has shifted? That will always be the art… That’s where more engagement helps us cover our blindspots because you have street-level intelligence where these strategies have to get activated.”
– Mark Thompson, Chief Operating Officer at Infoverity
A Visual Capture of the Discussion:
Designed by Ramsey Ford
