Formulating the play

I had a great conversation with a long-time subscriber to Casemore’s Critical Links a couple of weeks ago during which he asked me how he could bring together several of the companies senior leaders to agree upon a vision (and supporting strategic objectives) for the companies future. Due the varying knowledge and experience of each leader, he had found it challenging to get everyone on the same page in order to agree upon what the future will and should look like for the business. Diversity in decision making is a good thing, but if not approached and managed correctly it can result in wasted time, money and resources.

The key to making any effective decision is to broaden the perspectives of those involved in making the decision. Achieving such requires we broaden our knowledge and understanding of the challenges, obstacles and objectives of others around us. Not the typical default position for many of us.

Let me provide you with an example of how you can accomplish this.

When I work with clients to help them formulate their business strategy we spend considerable time assessing the current versus future state of the organization, incorporating the views and opinions of those participating in the session as well as input from employees. Attaining diverse information in the same format at the same time while working together to assess it’s relevance and impact creates a more robust and holistic view of the organization. This process of course takes some time however is critical to forming a collective view as to what’s important to the future of the business. I call this “formulating the play.”

What significant business decisions face you in the coming year?

Are you best positioned to take advantage of the diversity that exists within your business in order to create the best possible outcome?

© Shawn Casemore 2014. All rights reserved.