Strategies almost always espouse a myriad of completely unrealistic expectations.
To start, the objectives & outcomes that are dreamed up, border on the delusional. Too often, what is assumed to be true is often grossly mistaken and the assumptions that really need to be examined are almost always overlooked.
One example is the assumption that the line worker that will have to implement the changes required to make the strategy a reality, will readily accept the change without hesitation. Another poor assumption that plagues strategy implementation is that the attempts to improve the organization will work on the first attempt, without having to ever go back and make course corrections and modifications to ensure success.
Timelines that are too aggressive
Almost invariably, the time required to meet the objectives outlined in the strategy are grossly underestimated. What usually happens is that in the excitement that naturally takes place when a room full of people create goals for the future, is that the costs in terms of time to realize these goals is typically 2-3 times longer than initially assumed.
Incomplete costs
Strategy takes can take a toll on the organization in several aspects and one of the key areas is that of cost. If the strategy being developed does not also come with a budget, that includes a healthy amount of risk reserve, then it is ultimately doomed to fail alongside all other projects that are poorly funded.
Strategy takes money to implement, just as any other endeavor in the company does and it is leadership’s job to identify and set aside a pool of funds that are sufficient to cover the time required over the entirety of the implementation timeline.
Questions to Consider
Are you involving the right people in your strategy sessions and are you being realistic in terms of the time, cost and other resource commitments that are required to realize those strategic objectives successfully and completely?