The beginning of a new year is often a time of great organizational ambition and optimism. After months of year-end planning, new strategies and budgets are in place and teams are ready to hit the ground running on a new set of goals and objectives. Despite this optimism, research shows that most of these strategic goals and objectives will never come to fruition. In fact, the statistics range from a dismal 3% to 33% of companies whose executives say they are successful at executing their strategies. With those odds, many wonder if all the planning is worth the effort.
At TLD Group we believe leadership is a critical differentiator for organization’s looking to deliver on strategic objectives. Strategy alone does little to position an organization for success. Instead, a strong focus on execution of strategy through the lens of leadership is the way to productively drive organizational goals and objectives to completion. Leadership connects intention to execution, creating the foundation for high performance.
A well-designed competency model that is aligned to strategy is one of the most effective tools for establishing the characteristics and skills needed from leaders to drive results. High performing companies recognize that what leaders must do well to achieve results shifts depending on the strategic objectives the organization is seeking to accomplish. This is why evolving your leadership competency model is a powerful step in aligning organizational expectations to strategic objectives. Unfortunately, most competency models tend to sit on a shelf untouched for years at a time and are rarely considered or adjusted during the strategic planning process. If your organizational competencies never change, it’s likely your results won't either.
Strategic changes often require leaders to develop a different set of strengths and skills; at the enterprise level this development process can be a daunting undertaking. Leaders can become unintentionally or unconsciously set in their ways, especially if they’re accustomed to working under a different set of expectations. Designing and deploying leadership development tactics, whether it be individual leadership coaching or programmatic L&D offerings, aligned to a well-designed competency model creates a support structure for this change process.
Interested in aligning your organization’s leadership to drive progress on important strategic objectives? Check out TLD Group’s consulting solutions here.
