We’ve already talked about what a strategic plan is (and isn’t) in our discussion: “Strategic Planning Isn’t ‘Budget +10%.’” Hopefully, you’ve now got a direction mapped out and a list of initiatives to pursue, and you’re ready for a little tactical strategic advice. (Yes, that phrase is supposed to sound oxymoronic, but it’s actually deliberate and accurate.)

Repeat after me: “No.”

Try it again. This time with conviction: “No!”

Strategy is inherently about saying no. It’s about the choices we make and the choices we don’t. I’ve seen plenty of strategies completely derailed due to an inability to say no to that incremental initiative that’s kind of “on-strategy” but not really.

Good strategists are great at leading the thinking, and I believe leading the thinking is so critical to leadership that it has its own entire section in my book, One Piece of Paper (Jossey-Bass, 2011). As a leader, your job is to lead the thought processes and strategic efforts of your team. That requires you to invest time in thinking about your strategy.

The more effective you are at saying no to noncore work and focusing your team on the end vision you’ve laid out, the higher the likelihood of you achieving your strategic goals. On the other hand, not saying no leads to dilution of your efforts and strategy by incrementalism (which is rarely effective).

Let’s walk this logical strategic dog, shall we? Take the following points as true:
• You know where you want to end up and what your overarching strategy is.
• You have a finite amount of resources at your disposal.
• You’ve defined the 3–5 most critical initiatives to help you achieve your goal.
• There are a substantial number of “cool” opportunities you could pursue in addition to those 3–5 you’ve already identified.

The last point is where things get hairy.

Our resources are always strapped. Putting more work on your team’s plate beyond normal surges in workload is self-defeating in the long run, because you’ll run your team into the ground. That’s why a focused set of initiatives is critical.

Additionally, in increasingly distributed work networks, having a focused set of initiatives helps ensure that everyone is pulling in the same direction, thereby increasing your odds of success.

Here’s how things can go horribly awry. Say you have a strategy of offering a premier grocery retailing experience (sort of like Whole Foods). The four major initiatives you’re going to pursue are:
• Best product offering (i.e., no private label cheap imitation Doritos here. Only the best. Spicy nacho, baby!)
• Superior staff quality (highly trained, outstanding customer service)
• Be a destination (high-quality prepared foods, wine tastings, dining areas)
• Ambiance (music, lighting, store layout, decorating—all top-notch)

Seems like a reasonable list of areas to pursue. Combine all of them successfully and cost-effectively, and there’s a high likelihood of achieving your strategy (assuming your market segmentation is right to begin with, and there’s a market for what you’re selling).

This is where saying no comes into play. Billy Jack, the technology vendor, just pitched you a cool new scanning device for doing inventory. Fletus McGillicuddy in purchasing has some great supply chain ideas after returning from a lean manufacturing training. Doris Delaney wants to launch a cool new website for delivering coupons to customers. All of these folks have done business cases showing these initiatives have a positive NPV (net present value).

What do you do?

Say no. Not a single one of these is on the core path you’ve laid out above. Their link to any of your major strategic initiatives is specious at best. They all sound great, but they will dilute your core efforts. Your choices are:
• Dilute your main initiatives and divert resources to these new ideas.
• Crush your team and just add these to their plate (which has the same effect as the previous point).
• Add resources to go pursue them.
• Say no and stay focused on the strategy you’ve worked so hard to articulate.

I’m choosing no. I can’t emphasize enough the need to stay focused and ignore distractions.

Good strategic execution is about making smart choices and decisions. Not saying no means you’re either easily distracted, indecisive, or unwilling to make the difficult calls. Give no a try sometime, because by doing so you’re implicitly saying yes to the initiatives you’ve already chosen.

Published Sept. 25, 2024, in The thoughtLEADERS Brief on LinkedIn.