No matter how hard you try,
You will never learn everything about your company
By yourself.
[Unless you work alone then you got me there]
Knowing how to develop tailored strategies,
Is only as useful as knowing
What there is to tailor.
What you have at your disposal,
The expertise, skills, and knowledge
You can use.
Your own expertise, sure,
Your own knowledge,
But others as well.
A good strategist seeks out people,
Drawing out organizational know-how,
Harnessing understanding,
Wisdom, and
Experiences.
Collecting the nuggets of wisdom others have,
And building a foundation with them.
I call these “Generalisms”
And they open doors
To key facets of your company
That help expand your strategy.
But where do you start?
For me, I make lists.
Start with departments,
Divisions and teams.
Double-check the list,
Following the process of how work gets done.
Add additional groups,
Highlighting those with unique impact
[I like categories like client-facing, specialized, proprietary, and so on]
I look for leaders,
Figureheads,
Subject matter experts.
And, in some cases,
People who forgot to send me to voicemail.
I also ask colleagues,
Review ongoing work,
Take a quick peek at LinkedIn, or
Even click the “organization” button on Teams
[Hey, desperate searches call for desperate measures].
From this process, I find dozens of people to talk to.
Brimming with experience,
Holding years of critical knowledge, and
Detail on who, and what, their departments offer.
Generalisms.
Individually,
Generalisms may not generate a complete strategy
But dozens of them
Combine into a specific, engaging story
Only your company can tell.
Find them, compile them, incorporate them.
They give you an incredible view of what you have,
And guide where you’re going
With who and what will take you there.
