Many insights only become clear on reflection.
Reflection needs space to happen, which can only be provided via time (looking into history), distance (looking at Mount Rushmore from miles away), or altitude (the photo above).
As a private pilot, I receive the privilege of scanning the countryside as I move across the country, constantly on the lookout for alternate landing sites (note the airport in the upper right corner of this photo). Since I fly in lower and slower airplanes, I’m able to get a good, long look at many cities and towns like the one above. At first, they seem similar, then questions emerge. What drew people here in the first place? (likely the natural resources provided from the intersection of three rivers). Where did it start? (Likely the north side of that little peninsula in the middle). What drives the economy? (Like many midwestern towns, manufacturing). Note: For those of you who are curious about this town, it’s Three Rivers, MI (comprehensive plan here).
COVID has provided us with similar opportunities for reflection, by creating one of the most dynamic shocks to our business systems in decades. It literally took us all back to our roots and forced us to ask ourselves the deeper questions:
What made us successful as humans? What made us successful as groups of humans? What organized our enterprise to make us successful?
Noting that most of my readers are part of larger, more complex firms, let’s take a look at what you told me via article views and comments about which were the most relevant topics to you in 2020.
Theme 1: Clear Context Leads to Clear Thinking
We were asking one question when COVID hit: how is it going to affect us personally and professionally – and how can I make the best choices? It was no surprise then that the articles on how to find your footing were quite popular. During these times, it’s very easy to get focused on what others are saying and lose connection with our unique role in the world. In an effort to help people gather context, I posted up articles that were meant to serve as anchoring pieces: how to move from where we are to what’s next in light of a hoped-for future.
This piece lays out a practical path to regain your perspective and bring your team on during a crisis. The emphasis is on codeveloping the perspective with your team, then engaging them to get back on track.
Keys :
- Gain perspective
- Partition & breakdown elements
- Align with history
- Look in adjacent lanes
- Build the next steps with a cross-functional team
Article 2:
A Strategy Lesson Right In Front of Us
With the intense and sudden ubiquity of virtual meeting tools, I used three examples to show how firms found themselves to illustrate strategic choices. Firms rarely start with a clean sheet and the rapid uptake in these tools gave us a perfect view of how each of the three firms was playing its hand.
Keys:
- When needs shift, road map technology positions can become core products out of necessity.
- Where you start the journey matters. Incumbent architectures are solid but have a lot of inertia. Newer tools fit the moment but can be buggy at scale.
- Each firm has to make critical strategic decisions about its base architecture and features.
Theme 2: Activating the best in ourselves and others
In my coaching calls, I was noticing that firms with the deepest bench of leaders were getting back on their feet much faster than their peers. In this piece, I outlined a shortlist of what separates firms that truly develop leaders over those that consume them.
Keys:
- Invest time
- Give bold honest appraisals & feedback
- Real developmental plans
- Align with real skills
Having helped several senior leaders on their org design and leadership succession plans, I was not surprised to have them reach back in shock that many of the identified “ready” successors were found not to be quite as ready as COVID asserted itself. The dynamic leadership demanded by COVID-related challenges was in stark contrast to the usual functional “linear-experiential” progression that dominates in most firms.
Keys:
- Clarity
- Meritocracy
- Capacity
- Ownership
- Opportunity
Theme 3: Working with Organizational Inertia and Partitions
When we went virtual, it suddenly became much more complex to keep work flowing in the firm. As I worked with leaders in several firms, I noted the misalignments and areas that were consuming more than their fair share of leadership time.
Keys:
- Three systems holding you back
- Shockwaves move through every firm – don’t be a cork on the ocean
- Product loop moving too slow for external changes
- Cost management inhibits the cross-functional response
- Right Project, Right Team, Right Plan
The most persistent problem that plagues firms mid-sized and larger is getting the full “brain” of the firm operating to solve its most pressing problems. This was particularly true during COVID as there was any number of “good” things to solve, but a key short list of things that were critical to solving. The only way to find the latter is to activate the “full brain” of the firm.
Keys:
- Two zones, creation and ops
- Handoff is the hardest zone
- Joining them up is key
Launching into the New Year
I’m looking forward to taking the journey through ‘21 with you. As you take a moment to reflect, I encourage you to be both introspective and thoughtful and give yourself permission to dream a bit. History has shown the resilience of the human spirit – even when it’s a small town nestled in the crook of three rivers.
A Conversation
Conversations and collaborations have been the currency that made ‘20 work. Whether it was reporting a win, unpacking a loss or regaining our sense of balance, they all were the threads that allowed us to move forward together.
If you’d like to explore what strategic implementation advisory services could do for you and your firm in the new year, feel free to reach out via a comment on Linkedin, an email to scott@scottpropp.com, or use this link to schedule time for a 20-minute chat.
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