What do we really do?

At a board meeting yesterday, I saw a small management team rediscover what their business is about.

A frantic four or five months of investment, recruitment and revenue growth led them to slightly lose focus of what they want the business to deliver against an attractive strategy that could lead to a great business.

It was the workload that made them think 'what are we doing here?' It only took a brief conversation to get them back on track and any minor changes to plans are easy to implement with a small team.

Blow that up to a much bigger scale and one can see how a slight drift in focus or disconnection amongst a management team can lead to paths diverging and how difficult it is to get everyone back on track quickly.

Strategy teams are no longer the thinkers and analysts of the business. They must be the guardians and mentors of the people, helping to keep everyone on track and helpingto make adjustments as the strategy evolves. They must be able to perusade and execute as well as baffle and amaze.