Striking a Balance

I was convinced by some of my colleagues and clients to start sharing some thoughts in a blog.  I was actually convicted of something at the same time.  I always said a blog would be a strategic fit with my line of work but I never started one.  You might ask “why?” or, more to the point, “why not?”.  There is a simple and truthful explanation – I was lacking balance.  I will explain…

I have been working with a client for a few weeks now and have been showered with questions like:  “should I advertise in this trade publication?”, “do you think we need to update our tag line?” and “do we need a new logo?”.  While I appreciate the trust the owner and managers have in me, I find myself mildly frustrated.

New ideas really excite me so when I was working with another client I found myself having a lot of really productive brainstorming and problem-solving sessions that led to them implementing some great improvements I was thrilled.  I soon noticed that they liked nearly every idea and they were trying to implement all of them. I was a little concerned.

In both cases the client was totally focused on tactics and was lacking a strategy.  There was no balance.

Now I can tell you I have been on the other side of the scale, as well, where I have led some excellent strategy and planning sessions or have reviewed some wonderful go-to-market strategies and found myself equally concerned or frustrated.  Why?; because these folks were stuck despite having well thought out strategies.  You see, they had no tactics to support their strategies.  No Balance.

No matter what size your organization is or what role you have in an organization it is essential that there is a balance between strategy and tactic.  Many smaller businesses still have a great entrepreneurial spirit and a bias for action.  But I often find they lack a strategy that provides focus for the organization. 

In my experience a strategy can act as a filter and a great decision making tool for a business, a department or an individual.  It can keep a group on target and provide a great sense of direction that often leads to great execution.

I have often found myself  a bit heavy on strategy and a little slow to implement tactics.  I was convicted by a few people that know me pretty well and so here I am, in action, blogging – sharing some encouragement and insights.  Please join in with your thoughts and comments.

I hope you enjoy it and find balance for your business.