A leadership change is a natural moment to take stock of what has gone before and how it can be improved. But sometimes a new leader arrives and suddenly the strategy shifts, the messages change, and years of investment are pushed aside. Not because the previous approach was wrong but because there was no documented framework to protect it.
A vision trapped in the minds of individuals is fragile. It disappears when people move on.
A strategy that is written down, shaped and discussed with others endures changes in leadership. It provides those in the business a direction and guidance and it gives newcomers a foundation to build upon, not a blank page to rewrite.
But sometimes, it’s right to rewrite it. And a new leader often brings an expectation to do just that. Market conditions change. Competitors shift. New entrants arrive. Complacency is stared down by others doing things differently and giving clients what they (often didn’t know they) needed. It can be a time to embrace the change or predict changes.
Just the word ‘strategy’ can send a shiver of fear through some. What does it really mean anyway? It doesn’t need to be complicated but it does need to cover a few basics:
- What you do
- Who you do it for
- How you demonstrate value
- What you refuse to pursue
These ‘basics’ provide clarity and a platform to be creative. Without that clarity, firms confuse the market and undermine their own authority; often they do what has been done before or ‘follow the market’. With a strategy that has been discussed and written down, a new leadership can provide acceleration, not interruption.
The firms that compete best aren’t the ones with the loudest campaigns. They’re the ones whose essence remains consistent (what you do, who you do it for, how…). That isn’t a reason to not do anything though. To stay consistent means adapting what you do - so how the strategy is achieved is definitely something that needs to change. It’s the same broom, even with 17 new heads and 14 new handles. The difference is that everyone knows what job it’s meant to do.
