Simplicity! One of the most complex things to keep constant, no? Welcome to my blog series on the bridging the gap between strategy design and delivery. The Brightline Initiative with Project Management Institute to bring 10 principles to leaders, helping them achieve their transformation strategies.
Before I share with you the core of principle 5, it is important that you understand the difference between complex and complicated. Knowing the difference will help you bring this principle to life easier. I am of the believer that a complex business model is not totally a bad thing. A complicated one, however, is. Keep this in mind as we dive into the 5th principle
Principle 5 – Be Bold, Stay Focused, Keep it Simple
This principle is ensures that the resources you mobilised to support the strategy delivery, the insights you gathered from your customers, your own commitment to this magical strategy meet at one point. Principle 5 is this point and it is Simple. Yes, that is the principle – making it SIMPLE! Articulating your strategy, in fact, having your employees and subsequently your customers articulate your own strategy requires something that is simple and easy to understand. Your business model can be complex, but this is not about your business model. This is about ensuring that your strategic ‘why’ is simple to understand and demonstrate.
As a business leader, you must surround yourself with simplifiers.
Brightline Initiative Principle 5 Module
This module demonstrates how IKEA and ING Bank make their strategy simple, and focused.
In my previous life in the Middle East, I worked for one of the biggest retailers in the region, Alshaya. I was an employee when they did a complete revamp to their brand identity and started focusing on employees and putting customers at the heart of this company’s multi brand strategy. A full release to employees from around the region was held with a simple message:
‘Think Big, Act Small, Be You, Be Alshaya’
I have worked for this company over a decade ago, yet the simplicity of their employee and customer focused strategy remains with me until today.
And with this simplistic approach, we move into principle 6.
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The Project EDIT 