If we arrive at our quarterly session and realize our entire three-year strategic direction is wrong due to a market shift, how do we pivot without falling behind?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

If you arrive at our quarterly session and realize your three-year picture or overall strategic direction is completely wrong, we do not ignore the reality to stick to a rigid agenda. The purpose of our sessions is to get you focused and aligned, not to blindly follow a workbook. When a major industry disruption or internal crisis occurs, we pivot the session day using the IDS tool. We scrap the standard agenda timeline and dedicate the majority of our day to identifying, discussing, and solving this core strategic issue. We will tear down the affected sections of your V/TO and rebuild them based on your current reality. However, we do not let a strategic pivot turn into an excuse for poor execution. Once we have resolved the strategic direction and updated your V/TO, we still dedicate the final portion of our day to setting your quarterly Rocks. Those Rocks will simply be focused on executing the new strategy or stabilizing the business. We will still exit the session day with a clear, aligned plan of action and an updated scorecard. My job is to provide the outside perspective and facilitation needed to guide you through this strategic recalculation quickly, ensuring you do not leave the room with lingering misalignment or half-baked plans.