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Closing the Gap Between Strategic Development & Strategic Execution by Richard Rierson

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Closing the Gap Between Strategic Development & Strategic Execution March 18 th , 2015
Transcript

Closing the Gap Between

Strategic Development &

Strategic Execution

March 18th, 2015

USMC Philosophy

• Ultimate culture of Leadership

• Everyone trained to act as a leader

• Decentralized decision making

• Ask for “Forgiveness” not

“Permission”

• Focus on how to thrive within chaos

19th & 20th Century

Management Thinking

• Industrial Revolution

• Factories were built around

“machines”

• People were “cogs” of the machine

• Management kept them “well-oiled”

Frederick Winslow

Taylor

• Leader of the “Efficiency Movement”

• Mechanical Engineer

• “The Principles of Scientific

Management”

• “It’s possible to know all you

need to know…to be able to

plan what we do.”

• “Management & workers should

be separated.”

• “There is but one right way.”

Frederick Winslow

Taylor

“I can say, without the slightest

hesitation, that the science of handling

pig-iron is so great that the man who

is…physically able to handle the pig-

iron, and is sufficiently phlegmatic and

stupid to choose this for his

occupation, is rarely able to

comprehend the science of handling

pig-iron.”

Scientific Management

Theory

• Has revolutionized professional management

• Good for squeezing out efficiencies in “menial”

tasks

• Doesn’t work so well for “dynamic & fluid”

environments

Field Marshal

Helmuth Von

Moltke

• 19th Century Leader & Teacher of

German Generals

• Leadership & Management expert

• Huge supporter of “independent

action by subordinates”

• Introduced the concept of

“Commander’s Intent” as a strategy

• “Guidance for Large Unit

Commanders” - 1869

Guidance For Unit

commanders

• No plan survives first contact with the

enemy.

• Perfect planning is an impossibility

• Unleash subordinate initiative to address

the unexpected & to capitalize on

opportunity

Guidance For Unit

commanders

“With darkness all around you, you have to

develop a feeling for what is right…often

based on a little more than guesswork….

In this fog of uncertainty, the one thing that

must be certain is your decision…the

surest way of achieving your goal is

through the single minded pursuit of simple

action.”

Guidance For Unit

commanders

“There are numerous situations in which an

officer must act on his own judgment…

For an officer to wait for orders at times

when none can be given would be quite

absurd.”

DETAIL & CONTROL

IS NOT THE ANSWER

DETAIL IS NOT THE

SAME AS CLARITY…

IN FACT, IT IS THE

ENEMY…

Instead of detailed plans…

• Focus on Clarity & Alignment

• The more Alignment created…the more Autonomy

granted

• Alignment is achieved around what to achieve & why

• Autonomy is granted around what to do & how

The result…

• An Intelligent Organization

• Does not depend on being led by a “charismatic genius”

• Raises the performance of everyone

• Allows corrections…even if plan is flawed

• Strategic Planning & Execution becomes a “distinction

without a difference”

Takeaways…

Decide WHAT is really important

• You can’t create perfect plans…so don’t even try

• Create & communicate outcomes you want to

achieve

• Formulate a strategy as an “intent” not a “plan”

Takeaways…

Get the message across

• Communicate outcomes; what to achieve & why

• Leave the “how” up to them

• Introduce accountability & ownership (back-brief)

• Decentralized decision making

• Encourage asking for “forgiveness” instead of

“permission”

Takeaways…

Give people tools, time, & support

• Define boundaries & resources; Then get out of the

way

• Non-fatal mistakes are ok

• Encourage people to adapt actions to meet intent

• Work outcomes…not the “plan”

Commander’s Intent

Culture eats

strategy for

lunch


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