Why Consistency, Flexibility and Communication Will Beat Any Pretty Plan
Running a company is hard. For some, that’s an obvious statement, while others imagine that the boss does whatever s/he wants. The truth is, it is not all champagne and caviar and ordering people around. Yes, it is exhilarating – if hitting your numbers or other KPIs is what gets your blood flowing. But often the excitement hits its highest when you are dealing with difficult issues.
Everybody wants to work on strategy. And yes, coming up with a new strategy is great fun. Everyone is excited, and the future looks bright.
But all that clever planning and excitement will not bring results if not followed by flexible but dogged execution. Consistently doing what you set out to do.
Going, and going, and going even when you hit massive roadblocks.
Finding ways around those roadblocks.
Adjusting your strategy as necessary as you go, which doesn’t mean flip-flopping or changing things entirely on a whim.
Established businesses of any size cannot just pivot; only early-stage startups can rip up their strategy in the morning and realign by the afternoon.
That doesn’t mean that established businesses shouldn’t be flexible in their execution. Rita McGrath pointed out over a decade ago in her book The End of Competitive Advantage that businesses need to embrace dynamic strategy. The era of sustainable competitive advantage has already been replaced by an age of flexibility.
In an age of perma-uncertainty that we are living in now, this need for flexibility in strategy and management is even more important. It is flexibility on four cups of strong coffee.
This need for flexibility and a bias for action makes consistency in all other aspects, and especially communication, ever more important.
The most efficient and successful leaders I’ve ever met are not flashy – they are consistent in their actions. They keep their finger on the pulse of the business, and they are present and spot issues fast. And they are not afraid to change course fast.
Executing consistently and managing flexibly are complementary, and both are necessary.
Consistency is important across the business. Not just when executing strategy, but also in how you communicate with people in the business and other stakeholders, in how service is delivered to clients, and
