Dr. Jan Souman with the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetic studied what happened to people when they were put in the middle of the woods without a destination map. They walk in circles. Literally.
And this walking in circles, despite going nowhere, feels like progress.
Walking in circles looks like:
- Chasing your competition but never catching them.
- Doing the same things expecting different results
- Increasing sales goals with a strategy of “just making more sales calls.”
- Reducing price to get the business.
- Spinning too many plates many of which are wobbling. (Yet the activity is often comforting.)
To keep from feeling like your walking in circles, you need a clear, unique and meaningful destination that everyone can rally around. Unique in that only your company can own it. And meaningful in that your customers value it and your employees find it worth stretching for.
As simple as it seems, having a clear destination–your vision–can help you, your team and your company in ways that are hard to explain until you experience it. But creating an effective long-term vision takes time and hard work. One way to shrink that effort is to first focus on 2018. Ask your team what they want the company to become this year. Make a list of what they tell you. Then ask: “What do we have to start or stop doing today to accomplish that short-term vision?”
If you feel like you are stuck walking in circles, give me a call and let’s talk.
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If your strategy is not a clear as you think it could be, I encourage you to take a look at our new suite of services. From half-day workshops to multi-month engagements, we have several ways to help you and your team quickly get clarity around how you can win.
Tony Collins
C: (513) 404 – 2810
tony@tpstrategy.co