52. You Only Live Once, But You Get To Serve Twice.
What’s Inside
6 Levers to Help Your Strategy Gain Traction
Working Together in 2024
6 Levers to Gain Traction
As a lifelong tennis player, I grew up on the tennis courts and love the sport.
So, when I recently came across "You only live once, but you get to serve twice," I couldn't help but smile.
It captures so much of the ethos and spirit of the game.
Tennis is a game of conditioning, skill, and strategy. Will I:
Serve & volley?
Play the long game of rally & return?
Draw the other player to the net with a drop shot & then lob?
Each of these strategies shifts with different opponents, conditions, & surfaces.
From sliding on clay, to the speed of grass, to epic hard court rallies.
In tennis, as in business, strategy involves making decisions in the face of uncertainty.
It’s defining what we will & won’t do, testing hypotheses, following through, and correcting course, as needed.
We may find ourselves asking:
"What if my strategy doesn't work?"
The good news is we can always give our strategy run time & pivot, as needed.
Here are 6 levers to help your strategy gain traction.
Does your team know about it? – It’s great that you developed a new strategy, but have you communicated it? Not just once, but many times, and in many ways. Articulate the “burning platform” so everyone understands what is happening, when, and most importantly, why.
Have you addressed the WIIFM-factor? – Change is hard. Even good change. Have you articulated how the change may affect everyone on the team – good or bad – so they have time to process (e.g., WIIFM -What’s In It For Me)? People want to see themselves in the future.
Are you incentivizing new behaviors? – If your strategy focuses on a new market, do you reward behaviors that encourage risk-taking or maintain the status quo? It takes time to grow a new account, so make sure your team has enough run time and incentives to make progress.
Have market conditions changed? – You created your strategy at a certain point in time. Have new conditions developed – like a global pandemic, new competitor, or loss of talent? Each can affect your initial hypotheses or timelines, so look for ways that you may have to pivot to take these changes into account.
Are you following through? – A lot of great strategies sit on the shelf. Is you or your leadership team consistently reviewing progress toward priorities and goals? Ensure clear accountability to follow through and achieve your vision.
Are adjustments needed? – Ideally, you manage, measure, and mature your strategy on a consistent basis (think weekly or bi-weekly and definitely quarterly) so there are few surprises. Instead of waiting until the end of the year to figure out what happened, adjust along the way.
Now, reference number 1 to make sure you clearly communicate it.
2. Free Virtual Event - Jan 30th
Whether you're rebuilding, maintaining, pivoting, or growing - have a plan.
Invest the time today to create the business of tomorrow...
Define your Firm Foundation - Vision, Mission, Values
Clarify your 2024 Go-to Market Plan
Define your "Strategic No"
Identify your near-term priorities
Highlight potential obstacles
Measure success
3. Ways to Work Together This Year
Strategy Power Hour: 60-min virtual session to tackle a specific challenge your business is facing. (Schedule)
1:1 Private Strategic Advisor: Develop long-term vision & near-term priorities and goals. Meet 2x/month during 1-hr virtual sessions. (Learn More)
VIP Strategy Session for Growth: Virtual half-day session to leverage your expertise for growth. Develop North Star with your go-to market plan. (Learn More)
Exploring Entrepreneurship: 15-min virtual call to explore if entrepreneurship is the right path for you. (Schedule)
As always, thanks for reading.
To your strategic success,
Susan
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