The ‘no, not now strategy’
"What you don't do determines what you can do" (not my quote - heard it somewhere, sometime...)
Last week, in one of my client Quarterly Sessions, we conducted an “out of sequence” major revisit of the Annual Strategic Plan on a Page. Their market has moved so much, so quickly, that it was critical to re-assess our Strategic Plan. The pressure-testing we did showed as that the bulk of the Strategic Plan was still relevant. There were however some very different areas of focus required.
One thing in particular was what we thought was a very viable Core Customer segment ie. energy users less than a certain scale. As we delved into the needs of this segment, it became abundantly clear that any time focusing on this market segment was going to seriously distract us from the major Core Customer (far (!!) larger energy users). Saying “NO” to a market segment was the RIGHT thing to do in this moment. In fact, the whole team felt liberated. The focus and alignment that followed was remarkable. We were able to confidently set a robust plan for the next 90 days (and 12 months). We were also able to clearly see that our company has an incredible opportunity to really leverage its current market position and drive for what are looking like amazing outcomes. Adding ANOTHER area of focus (at this point in time), would stymie their business, reduce focus, overwhelm people, AND complicate their strategy.
Whilst I am always working with you/challenging you to leverage your core competencies (finely tuned strengths) to assess the market and new opportunities, saying NO is sometimes a great strategy. Don’t discount the power of the “no, not now strategy”.
Have a great week.
Grow well!!