At a recent gathering of colleagues we discussed whether strategy could be separated from implementation of that strategy. There was agreement among the group that there are distinct skills between those who focus on strategy and those who implement that strategy. And significant discussion focused on whether or not you can separate the two and what that means. For some of my colleagues, they strongly felt that some people set strategy and others implement that strategy and there is no cross-over.
My take – you cannot separate the two! If you are setting strategy (the vision) – you must also understand how that strategy might be implemented. You might not be the one implementing the strategy but you must certainly have some ideas on how to implement the strategy you envision. You need to collaborate closely with those who implement the strategy to ensure success in achieving long term goals and objectives. Without that collaboration, it will be difficult to successfully achieve that strategy.
What’s your take?
