How Do You Create Strategic and Operational Focus That Aligns?
In the September 4th issue of the Financial Times, an article titled 'Industry Losing Money Due to Management's Self-Overestimation' was published.
It appears that within a significant group of companies, improvement can only occur when they recognize that their management is not always up to par. For now, this indicates self-overestimation. Despite thinking they are performing well, many Dutch companies typically exhibit a culture of mediocrity.
According to the article, Dutch companies particularly underperform in setting goals. The goals are not sharp enough and often unrealistic. While we share this observation, we also see that entrepreneurs and managers are often unaware of how and why to create the same focus strategically and operationally.
Furthermore, translating vision and strategic objectives into daily business targets leads to problems. This often results in a disconnect between the 'executive suite' and the 'shop floor', leading to lagging sales combined with unnecessarily high costs as an unwanted consequence.
With a Little Help, You Can Do More Than You Think
Ignorance should not be an excuse for failing to pay sufficient attention to this! And it doesn’t have to be overly difficult. With a little help, you can do more by yourself than you think.
Fundamentally, it starts with awareness and ambition. From a top-down perspective, meaning from the management's viewpoint, it's about managing what they expect from other employees. From a bottom-up perspective, meaning from the other employees' viewpoint, it involves proactively contributing to what is expected of them. Collaborating in this endeavor is the solution to ensure full commitment from all parts and levels of the company to make the vision a reality.
This involves more conscious entrepreneurship, with the principle being 'prevention is better than cure'. This should be a continuous focus integrated into your organization's processes. For optimal functioning, your organization must be well-structured in every aspect. And rest assured, it doesn’t all have to happen at once. Take it step by step, but be self-critical and continuously raise the bar. After all, growth is not possible without ambition and discipline!
