Strategic Thinking Series - Article 3 of 4 - Desired State
Desired State strategy is largely unused and in my opinion is the "secret
sauce" to a wildly successful strategy. It is a state of being that is
created by accessing feelings and senses as if you have already arrived at
the goal. I hear it often referred to as a "designed outcome" and I
disagree with that verbiage. A desired state doesn't have any specifics in
it. A completed action step is not a "state of being". They cannot be
both and until you have wrestled with the distinctions between the two, you
may remain confused.
Do you remember back to the first module: Being vs. Doing? A state of being
holds the greatest potential for business transformation. It energizes our
imaginations and bodies at the pure anticipation of it. We can feel the
success! We can hear the accolades! We can imagine the bliss and personal
satisfaction at having accomplished our big hairy goal.
We use Desired State strategy all the time without realizing it. For
instance, every time we decide to buy a new carfrom the point that we
start to consider the financing; as we start to visit car dealerships and
scan the highways for what is attractive to us; as we experience the smooth
drive; the smell of the new leather; and the excitement of something modern
and new, we have developed our desired state.
What follows are the tactics. We have to find the money, select the model
and brand, figure out the paperwork, get it insured, have it detailed, figure
out the extra keys, and learn the gadgets so we can drive it safely.
Another example: Whenever we begin to enter a serious relationship, we start
to visualize our future together. The house, the neighborhood, the pets, the
children, the weddingnone of these have materialized yet, but we envision
them. We can imagine the smiling faces of our friends and family. The way we
feel when our pets greet us. The pride of our home and family, the way we
will work together, and the joy of owning our first home.
Taking this skill set into business is more challenging. We feel the
pressures of time. Our coworkers do not know about the value of a Desired
State. Accessing feelings at work or talking about dreams is not encouraged.
But it is at work where the greatest differences can be realized. Where
transformation occurs!
It requires us to:
Imagine our business 18-36 months ahead.
Set milestones and metrics so we can see our progress
Collaborate with others and to blend their vision with ours
Once we have our vision, and it is written down in key words or imagines, we
are ready to define our current state in writing, too. This will create the
tension that we need to pull our reality towards our dream.
All the action steps that follow should reflect this tension between current
state and desired state. What follows is a product of this tension and
clarity. And it will only be a matter of time before your desired state is
manifested. If you can imagine it, you can have it!
(The next module discusses a third kind of strategic thinking: Core Strategy
sub-groups.)
Strategic Thinking Series - Article 3 of 4 - Desired State
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