Like Ike, make your vision reality based
Strategic thinking is appealing because it looks out and beyond the regular and routine. Envisioning an exciting, new and different future for an organization can be a very engaging exercise.
But don't mistake creating an effective strategic vision as just having a bright idea or seeing an alluring place for the organization to go. It's can't be just day dreaming or building sandcastles in the sky. An effective strategic vision must be soundly based in reality. Visioning needs to look at the downside and how to mitigate against it or avoid it as well as the bright outcome that is anticipated.
We can learn from one of the greatest planning exercises in history. When U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was assigned by head of the Army General George Marshall to lead the invasion of Europe in World War II, Ike and his war planners had an immensely difficult future to envision and create. How as soon as possible could an allied army be placed on the European continent to successfully take on the axis powers?
This assignment was given with the backdrop of a failed British landing on the French coast which woefully underestimated what was required to succeed, the German's lack of resolve to undertake an operation to crossing the English Channel to land in England, and brilliant work by German General Erwin Rommel to strengthen and harden the French coast against an allied landing.
What followed was a multi-year period of intense research, testing and marshaling of resources. Every contingency was addressed. A small landing was made on the North African coast; it almost failed, but much was learned in Operation Torch about tactics and equipment. What emerged was the shared vision of a successful combined forces landing in Normandy and a growing wedge of forces being pushed onto the continent.
The strategic vision was exceedingly thorough and complete. The strategic difficulty was very high because of the complexity of issues that had to be addressed, from weather and resource limits to the need for secrecy.
Ike not surprisingly was a great advocate of planning before acting. He said, “Wars are won in the planning room, not on the battlefield.”
The landing, of course, did not go as planned but was successful because of the depth and breadth of the planning. Ike most famously said, "In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable."
Learn from Ike. Make your strategic vision reality based and spend the time needed in the planning room to be sure you can get there.
