Why Your Boss Is Keeping You Away from the Strategic Table…
RIGHT NOW…
Are you setting the stage for your organization’s future?
Or sitting in a big pile of strategic sewage – basting in all the stuff that rolls downhill from the corner office and directly into your cubical?
If you’ve tried everything to gain a seat at the strategic table with no luck (see my blog “Still at the Kid’s Table”, it may be time to ask what the heck is wrong with your boss?)
5 Strategic Excluder Prototypes:
(Is your boss one of them?)
#5 FLAGers: Viewing participation in strategic planning as a source of power, FLAGers reflexively resist collaboration, emphasize hierarchical differences and strictly adhere to job roles as means to protect their territory.
#4 DANGERFIELDs: These leaders get ‘no respect’ I tell ya! and give ‘no respect’ to others in return. With the weight of the world squarely on their shoulders, they see only their roles as having real value and our roles—not so much!
#3 DOWNHILLers: Catching what’s rolling downhill like the rest of us, DOWNHILLers are afraid to let others know that they don’t have a seat at the strategy table either and that strategy is handed down to them, just like the rest of us!!!
#2 NAFs: Naked and afraid, these leaders don’t have a clue what strategy really is and so NAFs treat strategy as an academic exercise. Desperately trying to hide the fact that there is NO TABLE, this fear driven leader, wants no one to learn the king (or queen) has no STRATEGIC clothes… and so, are doomed to remain naked and afraid.
And the #1 most common diagnosis?
#1 EXADDs: Executive ADD affects many executives, causing confusion and frustration among an estimated 100% of the people that work for them.
Symptoms include:
- An inability to focus on anything until the last damn minute
- Obsessive-compulsive blame shifting and
- Frequent displays of Whitehorse complex (riding in at the last minute to solve problems of their own creation)
Often diagnosed but seldom treated the only known cure for EXADDs is of course… EGO BYPASS SURGERY!
Seriously…
Hopefully you found this blog entertaining but the topic is definitely no joke.
Remember, the most effective strategies are:
- Simple
- Inclusive (people/opinions/perspectives) and
- Clear (connect every role, every action, every investment to what the strategy is trying to achieve)
If you can’t see how your role directly contributes to the overall strategy of your organization—your leaders have let you down and your problem may be bigger than your boss.
As always, I welcome your comments directly at jeff@jeffkaplan.com
Stay connected!
-Jeff
