Strategy is making a choice between options. And it is the role of leaders to make the tough decisions for strategy execution and transformation.

I’ve written about the benefits of an open strategy process, in lieu of traditional approaches that I call “dark room” strategy.

Someone asked me whether this means I’m an advocate for democratic strategy.

I’m not.

Strategy is NOT democratic.

Strategy means making a choice between options. If you sit on the fence you don’t have a strategy.

And it is the role of leadership to make this choice, to make these tough decisions, to make the tradeoffs based on the evidence and opinions. Leadership makes the high level strategic choices, sets the parameters, the “non negotiables”.

There are always “non negotiables” that are not up for debate.

Once leadership has set the “non negotiables”, there are always plenty of “negotiables” where you can involve others, your team, and have an open process. The trickiest part is knowing how to balance the negotiables and non negotiables for maximum payoff and influence.

PS Not sure what to do about getting your strategy unstuck, your projects powering ahead, your digital transformation turbocharged?

You have 3 choices:

🚀 Get your question answered free and discretely by emailing me (in 110 words or less) and I’ll answer as many as I can in my weekly emails.

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🚀 🚀 🚀  Access 1on1 mentoring with me,  email me on lisa.carlin@futurebuildersgroup

If you’re interested in

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Written by Lisa Carlin for FutureBuilders: https://www.futurebuildersgroup.com/strategy-is-not-democratic/

About Lisa Carlin

As a strategy execution specialist and scaleup mentor, Lisa works with ambitious digital leaders to turbocharge their transformation and business planning. Lisa’s clients have an independent sounding board and expert advice so they have absolute confidence they WILL ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS. Lisa is Co-Founder and Director of FutureBuilders Group of organisational development specialists, and volunteers as Chair of the University of Cape Town Australia Trust. Her early career was with Accenture (South Africa) and McKinsey (USA).

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