Listen to Les McKeown read this blog post:
In a recent blog post we saw that failing to correct a strategic blunder early traps you into the law of compounded organizational growth loss and results in a dramatically reduced annual performance.
And in an earlier blog post we saw what the three most common early strategic errors are.
But how do you know if you really have made a strategic mistake, or if you’re simply harboring doubts that don’t yet require action?
Here’s what I look for when I’m helping growth leaders answer that question:
1. You had doubts at the original point of decision (making the hire, launching the product etc), and havered quite a while before finally pulling the trigger and saying ‘yes’.
2. Something didn’t sit quite right in your intuition immediately after pulling the trigger.
3. You’ve been working hard to see ‘the good side’ of your decision ever since you made it.
4. Other people you trust have expressed concern about the decision.
5. When you think of unravelling the decision, you are overwhelmed by the implications of doing so.
6. You’re more than usually concerned about how you will look to others if you undo the decision.
7. You’ve started mapping out future ‘triggers’ – events that will cause you to reconsider the decision.
8. You’re finding excuses to avoid interacting with the person or thing that is the root of the issue (the new hire, the new product, the new alignment – whatever).
If you’re doing six or more of these eighth things, you’ve most definitely made a strategic error that needs to be fixed now.
If you’re doing 4-6 of them, chances are high, but you could give it a little more time to see if any of the other behaviors emerge before making a final 'go / no-go' decision..
Less than 4 and you’re likely just experiencing ‘normal’ post-decision stress.
Hey – great to see you here!
What about you? How did you score?
Let me know in the comments below!