Why Strategies Don’t Work

Many people will agree with Pete Laburn, strategy consultant and part of TomorrowToday’s network, that strategy just doesn’t work in most companies. Its either about just getting a plan done for head office, or we actually don’t have the time to lift our heads above the daily grind to see into the future. In this article, Pete argues that there is one dominant reason why strategies fail, and that is that the only strategy that organisations will deliver is the one that they are capable of delivering. He suggests three critical elements for developing organisational capability for implementing strategies.

In the many strategic sessions we run, we usually ask delegates “Who feels frazzled in their work?” Response to this question at is inevitably almost 100%. And when challenged as to why this happens, the usual answer is that ‘that’s the way it is today’. When pushed on just how enjoyable or satisfying their work is, delegates eyes glaze over, they shrug their shoulders, in apparent resignation that this is their lot in life, and the only possible way to cope in today’s world.

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Baby boomers – are you leaving a legacy?

The front runners of the Baby Boomer generation are turning 60 and entering a whole new phase “life after 60�. But don’t expect them to maintain the status quo.
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Desperately Needed – Leaders of Worth

E-ZINE ARTICLE, FEBRUARY 2006
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by Pete Laburn

The recent death of renowned business leader Dr Anton Rupert has saddened South Africa and the business world. Here was a man of stature, real substance, who was undeniably successful by any measure. With estimated assets of USD 1.77b in 2004, Forbes business magazine ranked him in the top 500 wealthiest families in the world. But on being asked in an interview last year if he thought himself as a successful man, he answered that he would rather be remembered as a man of worth. “Successful people,� he said, “did well for themselves, whilst the people he admired did well for others�. One wonders how many other so-called business leaders live by similar values. No doubt a large number would claim this philosophy but how many would live it out each day. If you counted on your fingers the leaders you have been exposed to, or know, who actually live by this credo, would you get past one hand? I doubt it.

The root of the issue here is not that only a very few humans are genetically coded to exhibit these wonderful attributes but rather that people who really do value significance and worth higher than material success are not ‘corporate heroes’ – they don’t make it onto the corporate high fliers list – because its not what the corporate world really wants. Their obsession is with short term return to greedy shareholders, and that doesn’t permit the time, investment in people, the community and society at large, that encourages and fosters this kind of significant leadership, and men and women of worth that leave a sustainable legacy. Why are these individuals heading today’s businesses not putting significance before success? Sadly it seems that significance is about others, and success is about me. Significance is a ‘giving thing’’ whilst success is a ‘taking thing’. And any leadership guru will tell you that true leadership is 99.9% giving of yourself, your time and talents to the benefit of those who choose to follow you.
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One more time…what drives culture and why it matters

Great organizations have distinct corporate cultures. There is no ‘ideal prototype’. They have longevity, coping with changing times and different generations effortlessly. Most organisations, however, are mired in traditional thinking and short term focus. How do you change this, and make your corporate culture a competitive advantage?

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