Wouldn’t you like to be Captain Jean-Luc Picard, from the Star Trek Next Generation movies?
He’s a visionary leader with big ideas to make the universe better. His strategies often involve finding peaceful solutions and respecting diverse cultures.
His signature phrase: “Make it so”.
As in, “Lieutenant, set a course for Starbase 12, warp factor 7. Make it so.”
These three words convey his decisiveness and confidence that everyone will execute. It has become an iconic catchphrase, often used to signify the moment when a plan or command is set into motion.
But what if people DON’T make it so?
What if the people YOU need to take action – won’t?
In working with boards and C-suite teams driving high-stakes strategies, I find leaders frequently get frustrated when people don’t quickly start supporting their big ideas. They figure their strategy is logical and makes sense. It just needs to be executed, right? “Make it so!”
The problem is this:
Even the BEST strategy will FAIL if people are confused, skeptical, or not aligned.
What many leaders miss is that Captain Jean Luc Picard – and EVERY leader who successfully executes a high-stakes strategy – has to get really clear about WHO: Who is it that needs to take action?
Many leaders make flawed assumptions when it comes to WHO.
They make the mistake of underestimating the wide range of people who are going to need to do something new for their strategy to work. If people are surprised and confused by what you’re asking them to do, your initiative will be delayed, if not derailed.
Sure, it takes work. After all, Captain Picard is regularly challenged to not only get the members of his leadership team, the crew, and the Starfleet Command all on one page – he often has to convince an entirely different species!
You can think about WHO from two perspectives: “internal” and “external.”
Your internal WHO includes (at least!)
o You
o Your leadership team
o Employees
o Contractors
o Partners
o Suppliers
o Volunteers
o Board members
o Investors
o Donors.
All of these people need to be informed, aligned, and ready to do their part. When your internal WHO is informed early and clear about your new direction, they can bring their different perspectives and ideas to help you anticipate issues and get results faster.
Your external WHO are all those people you don’t have as much control over but are also critical to your success. It includes (at least!):
o Customers who invest in your solution may need to do things differently, such as changing their processes, training, or schedule.
o Community stakeholders will need to fully understand what you are doing differently if you want them to recommend you to others
o Industry associations, ecosystem partners, and even competition will need to play a part if you are striving to create a new industry standard or a movement.
o Beneficiaries who use your solution (even if they don’t pay for it!) will still have to be clear on what they need to do differently to get the benefit.
When you plan ahead for WHO needs to take action you will avoid confusion and speed results.
Want to know two things you can do RIGHT NOW to ensure your next big strategy gets warp-speed results?
1. Start mapping out WHO needs to take action.
2. Create your plan to make sure they know, understand, and believe in what you’re doing – so they can move WITH you.
The faster you focus on WHO, the faster you can boldly go!
I’d welcome your thoughts.
— Susan
This article is part of my newsletter, which equips and energizes leaders with practical ways to move forward, whether leading a new strategy or getting one back on track. Subscribe if you’d like insights like this one or twice a month.
Explore my website, www.gotomarketimpact.com, to learn more about my upcoming book, “FastTrack Your Big Idea!” as well as my offerings to help you and your team clarify your strategy and get results faster. Or message me, and let’s connect! susan.Schramm@gotomarketimpact.com.
