PREMIUM SUPPORT & TOOLS
AKRs & 1000 Day Plan
‘Strategy’ is a confusing fuzzy word that is best avoided. Yes, I know I am as guilty as everyone else at (over) using it. But still, I should strive to do better and so should you.
Instead of building a ‘strategy’ it is much better to think of your “plan” in a number of different horizons. And then build a plan for each of those, hopefully linking them together with a degree of consistency.
Now for most real businesses thinking about the thematic industry under-currents and seismic decadal shifts is whilst useful has a pretty steep RoI curve. It is almost certainly much better to spend 10x your time and effort thinking about the next 3 years than the following 5, 10 or certainly 30!
For any fast growth company in a rapidly evolving or disrupting space this is even more true. So absolutely have a vision and longer-term perspective but double down on setting your company’s 3 year vision.
The concept of 1000 day plans hasn’t hit mainstream corporate strategy groups or business school teaching theory (yet), but that is what all the best types of companies do nowadays. Simply ask where are you trying to get to in three years, and how can we break that into actionable annual goal horizons (Annual Key Results = AKRs) via a 12 quarter planning grid (OKRs).
If you can crack that, and learn how to build a practical plan that everyone gets behind, plus of course update it on a rolling basis depending on your business performance and latest intel (QBRs)… well then you are operating at a world-class level. Think about how Tesla, and SpaceX develop their strategy. It is all in a series of sequential waves. Then all you then have to do is execute it and adjust as you go. Mmm… details. ;-)
The Scale-Up System helps you embed this approach into your business at a fundamental level. It sets the scene for all the other parts that follow. And all through a handful of simple customizable frameworks.
Blink and you will be like a strategy Sun Tzu ninja jedi.