Making Strategy Personal
When Strategy is described from the customers' perspective
- Customers understand what they are buying and why
- Employees understand what the business must deliver to succeed
The shape of every strategy is based on the five dimensions that resonate with customers.
Customers recognise and trust a business which is focused on:
- One primary dimension – where they always excel
- One secondary dimension – where they typically outperform their competitors
They expect at least average performance on the other dimensions.
An attempt to excel in multiple dimensions will confuse both customers and employees.
Examples of companies that have a clear SHAPE their customers understand are:
Once the strategic SHAPE is determined, deploy other strategic frameworks as required to achieve it.
Use other frameworks to develop the detail of the strategy, such as:
- Porter’s Five Forces
- McKinsey’s Seven Ss
- the BCG Matrix
SHAPE provides context and makes the strategy understandable to employees and customers.
When the strategic SHAPE is clear then thinking is focused and decisions are driven by consistent outcomes. High quality thinking is directed towards the strategy and debates between departments or business units are focused around common objectives.