How does your organization approach strategic initiatives?

Our reader poll today asks: How does your organization approach strategic initiatives?

• We focus on a small set of initiatives and execute them quickly 31.46%
• We try to focus but often get distracted which leads to little getting done 27.70%
• We bite off too many initiatives and never finish anything 26.76%
• We rarely pursue anything strategic — it’s all tactical 14.08%

Focus, focus, focus. 54% of you seem like your eyes are bigger than your stomach and bite off too many initiatives that the organization simply can’t get done. While it seems like you’re getting a lot done by working on multiple projects, you’re likely slowing your efforts down because you’re diluting your energy. It can be hard to say “no” to something so instead, try saying “not yet.” That will help you push off initiatives to work on later and overcome objections of people who feel like they’re being said “no” to. People generally respect and understand prioritization. Focus on a smaller set of projects, execute them quickly, and move on to the next batch. Focused energy drives speed. And for those who only focus on the tactical, focus on carving out time for a strategy session where you assess where you’re headed long-term. If you don’t set aside time for that discussion, you’ll always be working on the small stuff.

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

Did you enjoy this post?  If so, I highly encourage you to take about 30 seconds to become a regular subscriber to this blog.  It’s free, fun, practical, and only a few emails a week (I promise!).  SIGN UP HERE to get the thoughtLEADERS blog conveniently delivered right to your inbox!

These results were originally a SmartPulse poll in SmartBrief on Leadership which tracks feedback from more than 240,000 business leaders. Get smarter on leadership and sign up for the SmartBrief on Leadership e-newsletter.