Episode 5 Six reasons why your strategic plan fails to deliver. The Hidden Barriers and how to identify them. Part 1

With apologies for the poor sound quality - microphone problems

Based on HBR article by Michael Beer “6 Reasons Your Strategy Isn’t Working”. Published June 2020

Some or all these hidden barriers may exist in your organization. They may go unrecognized; they are often not discussed for fear of the consequences because they address failings in the organization.

Even good strategies will fail if these barriers are present in your organization; because your team cannot execute until these barriers are removed.

Hidden Barrier #1 Unclear Values and Conflicting Priorities.

This occurs when a strategy is developed without sufficient consultation with the employees at the coal face.

Hidden Barrier #2 An Ineffective Senior Team.

You may not like it, but your employees may consider you ineffective at strategy. Research in the Harvard Business Review shows that 71 percent of employees in companies with weak execution believe strategic decisions are second-guessed, as opposed to 45 percent of employees from companies with strong execution.

Hidden Barrier #3 Ineffective Leadership Style.

This refers to individual leadership. There are two, contrasting leadership styles that can derail the implementation of strategies. Firstly, the top down approach that does not involve team members sufficiently to build their commitment to the project in hand. Secondly the laissez faire non-confrontational style that does not encourage buy in as the impression created is that the project is not that important.