Have you ever worked for a company with an undefined or confusing direction? Businesses often promote a mission statement, but they are not executing or following what they have stated as their mission. This is not because of disloyalty or indifference but rather disorganization and misplaced priorities.

When a department does not have a clear mandate or agenda, the people working there become unsure of how to proceed. They can easily find themselves extremely weighed down with seemingly futile tasks.

According to the article entitled “Thriving Inside a Company That Has No Strategy,” John Godwin explains how working for a company without clear direction or goals is frustrating. He defines strategy as the plan that “deals with a set of choices and [the] subsequent selection of an execution path”—a guide that provides “the means to judge the multitude of decisions that a company collectively must make every day.”

In other words, the strategy is what guides your day-to-day actions.

However, Godwin argues that you can develop a “strategic hierarchy” for your department or even for your individual position. He writes, “Setting clear objectives and sub-objectives that tie actions to business results will be powerful when it comes time to make your case for action.”

In other words, the stronger and more organized your plan is, the easier and more effective it will be to put in motion.

Godwin’s point is well taken.  To guide your actions, set clear objectives, and have a strong plan.

While Godwin makes excellent points, he overlooks a large issue that is raised when taking strategy into your own hands: your time can become occupied with self-imposed tasks. When setting your own goals, you run the risk of adopting a “I have to do everything” mentality.

If you can clearly define the tasks that are mission-critical, then you are free to delegate everything else—or at least those tasks that allow you to do so.

Administrative assistants are the key to helping you actually execute your strategic hierarchy. They provide the skills and time to help you achieve and complete the various, multiple tasks cluttering your to-do list.

Communication is essential to your success. Companies without direction often fail in this arena, so it is important to incorporate this into your plan and to implement this with your administrative assistant. Communication should be integral in your strategic hierarchy—whether communicating your plan, to-do list, or follow-ups.

 

Article Source: https://www.singlestoneconsulting.com/articles/thriving-inside-a-company-that-has-no-strategy