Leadership Implementation

Implementing corporate strategy requires a team effort headed by your organization’s leadership team. Each person involved in change management has their responsibilities, and it is important for the entire organization to understand the role of leadership in strategic implementation to make delegating responsibility more effective.

1. Involvement

Strategic implementation of any kind of new company policy or program requires participation from all of the departments that will be affected. Company leadership needs to identify what those departments are and create an implementation team that consists of representatives from each affected group. Management needs to create a structure that identifies various group leaders, the responsibilities of those group leaders and an accountability system that insures that the implementation team meets its timetable for getting the new program or policy in place.

2. Interest

Implementing change or any new strategy within a company requires a feeling of urgency on the part of the entire company. It is the job of management to create that urgency by explaining to the staff why the implementation is necessary. Leadership needs to help the employees understand how the company benefits from the new implementation, but it also needs to get the organization to see the setbacks of not making a change.

3. Monitoring

Strategic implementation within a company is not an exact process. It is a dynamic procedure that needs to be monitored by management and altered to meet implementation goals. It is the responsibility of leadership to put a monitoring system in place, analyze the data that is being generated during the implementation and make any necessary changes to make the implementation more efficient.

4. Communicating Plans

Strategic implementation begins with setting goals and communicating these to workers. Prioritize your objectives, put resources at employees’ disposal, explain the processes and, above all, transmit your vision to your team. Communicating well means your listeners comprehend your words and are able to put them into action. For example, when describing how to implement a new software program, use layman’s terms when talking to those who are not computer specialists. Give the information in small, digestible chunks and test understanding before moving on.

5. Giving Out Assignments

Proper delegation helps guarantee a smooth implementation of business strategy. The manager charged with strategic implementation must be able to pick out the people and teams best able to move the project forward. Leading the implementation requires taking pains to discover and test the abilities gifts of her staff. She should establish mini-leaders over various segments of the process who understand the scope of the implementation. These people will report directly to the overall manager and will be responsible for guiding their own groups. Pick enthusiastic, imaginative and people-oriented employees for these roles.

6. Monitoring Execution

Participate in all avenues of the strategic implementation. Ask questions while observing what your employees do in order to understand all the processes involved. Ask your group leaders for weekly progress updates. Keep abreast of the problems that arise and handle them expeditiously. Document the process carefully so you and others can refer to the literature for future ventures. Be flexible. If something does not work well in the way you have designed it, find other avenues until you find something that works better. Always take care not to micromanage your employees as you monitor the processes but instead be an involved leader who joins in the work to make it better.

7. Encouraging Staff

Your attitude will prove contagious for the staff. If you are energetic and willing to give your best to the company, others will follow suit. When encouraging your staff you need to be a consistent role model who stays on tasks, works to solve problems and keeps to a schedule. You want your employees to emulate your behavior without having to lecture them on what how to act and perform in the workplace. For example, if you are always on time and get to work quickly on the implementation process, your staff will understand the need to do so as well. Create a culture of encouragement by praising hard work, passionate exhibitions and creativity in individual efforts. Your staff will appreciate the recognition.