EP. 58 3 Steps to Create Your 2022 Strategy Despite Uncertainty

Team Anywhere Leadership Podcast

Most return-to-office conversations begin with a binary perspective: are we in the office or are we out of the office? This question leads companies into discussing a hybrid strategy. But when leaders don't clearly and explicitly describe what their hybrid model will really mean and fail to create a clear strategy, they end up setting themselves up for more trouble. So is this question about “returning to the office” really the right question leaders should be asking? Tara explains that leaders need to start thinking more strategically about what they mean inside this topic.

Inside this week’s episode, Tara walks us through a three-step process to help create this strategy in this time of uncertainty. Tara explains that the pandemic has given us all the opportunity to become more precise and visionary. As we build strategies into the future, she advises that we start with the destination, focus on value, and then build on what's working. She refers to mindful and strategic tools from her book, Charting the Course: Tools for CEOs to Align Strategy and Operations.

Start with a Destination
Tara defines strategy as a set of decisions and actions you need to get you where you want to go. So before you can consider how, where, or when your employees will be working, you have to start with the question “to what end?” That’s your destination. You have to set a clear destination for your strategy. In the return to office topic, what is it that you're trying to achieve?

Starting with a destination allows you to get out of our current world and start expanding your thinking. A vision board is a wonderful tool for showing that expanded thinking visually. Unlike a vision statement, a vision board is not just the words on the page that describe your vision. A vision board helps others see what your end vision looks like. When digging into your vision, it’s important to consider your external landscape to be sure the vision is compelling and fits within your business context.

Focus on Value
Whatever business you're in, you have to deliver value in order to succeed.

If you can't precisely identify what value you add and deliver on it, it’s going to be hard to sell your future strategy. This doesn’t mean you have to be doing charitable work to add value to the world or to your customers. Rather, it means you need to get clear on how your future strategy adds value to all of your stakeholders. Without the value component, it’s harder to sustain success. In Tara’s experience, most people want to feel the work they do matters - to customers, the community, or the environment. Thus, connecting value to the vision also makes it easier to motivate your team to reach the destination.

Build on What’s Working
Once you’ve clarified or affirmed your destination and described the value that you provide and can continue to create, it’s time to build on what’s working.

Start thinking about what worked, what could be improved, and what could change or be done in more innovative ways. Over the past 18 months, your company has learned a lot. Now, you have the chance to think carefully about what has changed for the better and enhanced your ability to deliver value for customers and staff. What happened in the last 18 months that really worked well and how can you build on that? Find dialogue questions inside Tara’s book.

One caution: Rationalizing your return to office decision as grounded in your culture may be a trap. You may not want to blindly retain the culture you “had”, even if it worked well in the past. Why? Looking forward, the culture you had may not be the culture you NEED to achieve your objectives. See full summary here.

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