Image text: It’s the way you execute your strategy that makes all the difference.
Image credit: /Sean MacEntee: “Strategy” via Flickr. License: CC BY 2.0
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/).
A strategy that works!
You’ve formed a new strategy. But why isn’t it working? It’s not the strategy, but the way
you execute it, that makes all the difference, business coach Michael Hansen writes in his blog
post.
A lot of people are good at developing visions and plans for themselves and their companies. But
the only thing that can make those plans come to fruition and guarantee success is the way in which
the plans are executed.
That was the message when CEO of Danske Bank, Thomas Borgen, talked about the bank’s
strategic development at a meeting in Børsen Executive Club. Borgen told the story of a meeting
during which he showed the rest of the management a slide featuring the new visions and plans for
the bank and asked the other executives for their opinions. They were incredibly excited and praised
Borgen, because that was exactly the future course they wanted for Danske Bank. Borgen’s next
slide showed that Danske Bank did not develop the visions and plans, but that they were actually
taken from a competing bank! Borgen’s message was that so many strategies look alike, and that
the difference between the top and the bottom is not to be found in the strategy itself, but rather in
the execution of the strategy.
In Danske Bank, it is not enough just to say that your focus lies on the customers. The employees
should reflect that notion as well. They should try to understand the customer instead of saying
what they can bring to the table. They should create a sense of trust, reliability and security by
connecting to the customer. They should change their own culture and mind-set. Because if they
don’t, they’re not able to do their part in executing the bank’s strategy. To put it differently: “Walk
The Talk”. Yes, behavioural changes can be difficult to implement in an organisation. So how do
you go about things?

Create an analysis/examination of the things that you’re sick of (pains that you’d like to get
away from)

Set up goals for what you’d like to achieve (gains that you’d like to move towards)

Form a strategy for getting to the chosen position

Admit that it requires a change in human behaviour in order to succeed with strategic
changes

Design a development process for your employees – and yourself – which will enable you to
execute the strategy

A development process should be adjusted according to the individual employee and should
focus on obstacles and potentials in the group and in the individual
Is your organisation good at executing your strategy?
Michael Hansen is a former professional golfer with almost 10 years of experience as a touring pro
in the PGA. Now he helps ambitious people in business achieve their most important goals in his
company, by Michael Hansen (http://www.bymichaelhansen.com).
Category tags: Inspirational/Entrepreneurship
Emne tags: Michael Hansen, Strategy, Work Life
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