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Activity Without Strategy is a Formula for Frustration
It seems that everyone is incredibly busy lately. Year end planning, updating web sites, Twittering, writing, speaking, marketing their books and services, exploring new opportunities, servicing clients. The list is endless. There’s so much to do and the more that can get done the better off things will be, right? I’m not so sure of that. Activity will not help your leverage your content, grow your business and achieve your objectives unless it is connected to a solid strategy. A good strategy will give you the clarity you need to determine which activities are essential and which are not.
I’ve yet to work with a client that has not realized that some, if not many of the things they were putting time, energy and resources into really were not helping them. In many instances the opportunity cost was actually harming them in some way. So what is it about activity for the sake of being busy that is so magnetic to many people, to some extent even addictive? I think that when you are passionate about the work that you do and you want to succeed keeping busy is comforting. It feels good to know you put in another zillion hour week; to know that you’re involved in dozens of interesting projects, to be on a dozen conference calls by two in the afternoon. After all given that you’re passionate about your work you wouldn’t sit around on the couch all day when there’s so much that needs to get done?
It comes down to having a solid strategy, one that you believe in and can use as the road map to drive your business. You will gain the clarity you need to be able to effectively prioritize and you’ll also be able to track your progress along the way. You’ll still be busy but you’ll be a lot less frustrated.
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Great article. Very refreshing and reassuring of the importance of connecting strategy with activities.
“Strategy is, strategy does”.
Greetings from Raleigh
Agreed! My background is in strategy consulting so it is in my blood, but I always find it hard to understand why so many businesses that I work with lack any kind of coherent of strategy. For me it is the essence of good business!
Absolutely correct! Activity that does not follow, and strengthen, a coherent strategy is just time wasted waiting to go broke. For over fifty years, every study ever done by anybody, agrees that a lack of planning is the reason most smaller businesses go out of business. Since there are no useful books, manuals, whatever, to help managers with that fundamental problem, we decided to write one based on our over fifty years experience in planning and strategy. It is called The Marketing Strategy & Planning Workbook For The Successful Business. Chapter Two shows you in great detail how to create a Mission Statement that reflects your strategy. You can read Chapter Two at http://www.digitalworkbook.com. It is complete and it is free. If you find just one idea in the Chapter that you can use right now, you will know why you need the rest of The Workbook. Also note the blog which keeps ideas up to date and the comment section which lets you ask questions.
You imagine strategy precedes action. Very original thought, I’ve never seen it myself in real life.