Gallup tells us that the success of an organization’s change “depends on their employees’ ability to adapt. Worn-out, anxious people have limited capacity to absorb information about change, much less adapt to it or drive it with their teams.”
Most leaders can validate these sentiments from personal experience and attest to the challenges that come with activating strategies.
But how can leaders tell if their people are ready to embrace and act on their organization’s new direction? It can be hard to decode employees’ willingness to accept change. People are often wary of sharing their honest feelings and concerns. However, there are questions leaders can ask of themselves to ascertain whether their people are motivated and inspired to bring a strategy to life.
Here are some questions a leader should ask to see where their organization ranks on a “strategy activation readiness” scale.
The Strategy Activation Assessment
For each of the questions, rank your organization on a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being “excellent”). After answering all the questions, add up the numbers to see how your organization stacks up.
Your Score :
You’re poised for successful strategy activation. Kudos! Your leaders and employees are successfully tackling many of the key steps needed to change your organization’s focus in the areas of culture and strategy. However don’t let this impressive ranking allow you to rest on your laurels – there’s always room for improvement. Your greatest opportunity is to continue your focus on leadership alignment, employee engagement, strategic understanding, and skill development as a structured process.
As long as you continue to put your people first and foster a culture where change is a good thing, and is a sign of continued success and business longevity, then your business is on the right track and your people will continue to embrace the shifts that are necessary to solidify your organization’s success for the long term.
Your Road to Successful Strategy Activation Starts Now
Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is invaluable. This insight is what helps the most successful people in the world – whether they’re business leaders, athletes, or chefs – stay at the top of their game. They identify what they’re doing well and where they need to grow. That’s what this assessment is designed to do – help leaders identify exactly what they can do differently to better prepare their organizations to execute their strategies. After all, there are two guarantees for every business in any industry: 1) change is inevitable, and 2) strategy activation happens through people.
The time is now to equip employees with the skill sets for navigating change. Are you ready? If you can’t answer yes with assurance (or if you scored 63 or below), let’s chat.
Your Score :
You have some work to do, and have several opportunities for improvement! Most likely, your organization has not been managing cultural and strategic change in a way that makes people feel safe. As a result, employees are scared and instead of supporting a new strategy they ignore it, commit only half-heartedly towards it, and sometimes even refuse it. One of the first things leaders in this position need to do is change the way they discuss change. Instead of keeping the whys and hows confined to the C-suite, give employees the bird’s eye view. Share with them the reasons behind your new direction and get them excited about how doing things differently is best for them, as well as the bottom line.
But don’t feel defeated. If your organization’s ranking isn’t where you’d like it to be, there are ways in which leaders can start to establish a renewed alignment within leadership teams about the desired business outcomes and priorities. And there are proven ways for leaders to help people understand the why, what, and how of the strategy, while simultaneously giving them the skills and competencies to successfully execute it. This will take time and energy. But if employees aren’t intellectually and emotionally connected to the strategy, then a successful activation is going to be difficult thing to achieve.
Your Road to Successful Strategy Activation Starts Now
Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is invaluable. This insight is what helps the most successful people in the world – whether they’re business leaders, athletes, or chefs – stay at the top of their game. They identify what they’re doing well and where they need to grow. That’s what this assessment is designed to do – help leaders identify exactly what they can do differently to better prepare their organizations to execute their strategies. After all, there are two guarantees for every business in any industry: 1) change is inevitable, and 2) strategy activation happens through people.
The time is now to equip employees with the skill sets for navigating change. Are you ready? If you can’t answer yes with assurance (or if you scored 63 or below), let’s chat.
