In a recent Chief Executive Boards International meeting, a member was complaining that he wasn't making progress on some strategic wishes. I say "wishes" because when challenged by his Board members (they do that - it's part of the deal) he couldn't come up with any intentional actions he or anyone on his staff were committed to, relative to those wishes.
Another member said, "If you're not taking intentional actions, you're going to get unintentional results."
The root cause of this dilemma usually lies in the lack of a written strategic plan. It could also easily be said, "If you don't have intentional (written) strategies, you're likely to be executing unintentional strategies." Saying "no" to one thing is saying "yes" to something else. See: If It Isn't Written Down, It Doesn't Exist
The big excuse for this "no man's land"? "I don't have the time to plan." I've heard that a thousand times in a thousand ways. Let's have a look at that. You somehow have the time for all kinds of other things, like those things you're filling up your day with, important or not, right? If you were serious about improving your business, not just working harder in it, you'd be saying "no" to those day-to-day things that aren't your highest and best use, and saying "yes" to some serious heads-down time creating strategies and action plans that you could then intentionally pursue (or, better yet, assign to someone else to intentionally pursue). See why Working Harder is Not a Strategy. In fact, it's a downward spiral that's likely to make things worse. Or consider The 20% CEO. Doesn't your company deserve a 100% CEO?
So, if you're getting unintentional (undesirable) results, take a look at the intentionality of your actions. If you don't like what you see, step back, stop doing what you're doing and try something else. Perhaps a CEBI Board could help you with that. At least they'll keep you honest.
If you've found a way to stay focused on intentional strategies and action plans, click on "Comments" below and share them with others.
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Terry Weaver
Chief Executive Boards International
http://www.chiefexecutiveboards.com/
TerryWeaver@ChiefExecutiveBoards.comhttp://www.chiefexecutiveboards.com/
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