I read the Hay Group publication 'Make or break' this evening...

The little booklet highlights the fact that to be successful we must ensure that our organisations have the capacity to keep our promises. It stresses my view that it is not the execution capabilities that make all the difference. Programme management, performance management and measurement systems matter but they are not enough. We need to understand the three major tools we have for turning strategy into reality:

• translate the strategy into a structure that allows the organisation to best serve its customers, clients and stakeholders;
• constantly and publicly reward the way things are done as well as the results achieved;
• consistently repeat the message through stories and check that the message arrives.

We all need to understand that there is a risk within organisations that our body language and our tone contradict the content of our message. We must think very carefully about rewards and structures to ensure that they match our strategy. Content still matters and we still need a vision and a strategy but we should reserve words for what they do best - telling stories that inspire and inform.
Chris