Frequently Asked Questions

Strategic models are there to broaden your view. They particularly serve as a guide to give direction to your thought processes. A theoretical model also provides support and prompts thinking about the things that are truly important. But: a successful strategy is as alive as you and I. Therefore, continuous evaluation and adjustment are necessary.

You create your own luck, just like a successful strategy. Research shows that organizations that followed a strategic thought process, formulated a strategy, and then implemented it are often 40% more effective than organizations without one.

It's especially that last step – execution – that's often missing in many companies. It's easy for top management to spend a few days in an inspiring setting and then name some strategic or policy goals. The real challenge? Bringing those goals to life with your employees, implementing them, evaluating, and adjusting them.

Maintaining focus seems to be the biggest challenge for many organizations. A well-defined and elaborated strategy assists you in this process. Seth Godin (a renowned dotcom entrepreneur and writer) also translates it as follows: “If you do not have the time to do it right, what makes you think you’ll have the time to do it over?”

With our innovative Strategy Road Map, we visually map out your possibilities. You get a complete overview of the opportunities locked within your business model. Additionally, at Straight Business Partners, we provide a clear and tangible step-by-step plan tailored to your company. We closely follow each step, regularly evaluate, and adjust where necessary. We teach your organization to think strategically and translate it into operational execution.

Your employees are the foundation of executing a successful strategy. If they don't know where you want to go, why you want to go there, and how you plan to get there, they cannot contribute effectively. Additionally, a balanced communication plan is very important in achieving the desired result.

Therefore, involve your employees from the start in your strategy and keep them enthusiastic throughout the entire process.

Change always evokes resistance and doesn't need to be negative. If employees are involved early on and you are clear in your expectations, you encourage engagement.

In addition, evaluating your own leadership style is also important in such a process. Depending on the goals to be achieved and the change required for this, you apply the type of leadership that makes this change possible.

Sometimes it's also necessary to set aside your own paradigms. Let yourself be surprised by the positive input your employees can have from their place in the organization. They often can do more than is thought.

From a leader, we expect to deliver what is needed to achieve the set results. It often happens that leadership teams are not used to thinking strategically. They are usually heavily involved in the operational, preventing them from showing the right leadership.

It's important to evaluate in advance what the quality of your leaders is and what qualities they should ideally possess, then give them the opportunity to grow into their future role. After all, they are the ones who translate the strategy into their departments and ensure it is implemented and executed.

Strategy and operation/execution are often insufficiently aligned. Often, organizations grow organically, and the owners are heavily involved from the beginning. However, it depends on several factors, including how a business leader/owner handles this and what personal preferences they have.

Strategic thinking and doing helps a business leader to look at their organization from a distance, making it clear what steps to take to prepare the system for the next step.

If we are too close to the ground – too close to the operation – we cannot see what's happening around us. That means that organizations are sometimes surprised by the competition or a rapidly changing market and cannot adjust in time.

Ensure structure, passion, and conviction, both at the board level and in your leadership teams. Additionally, the culture of your organization is very determinant for the success of a strategy.

You likely know the saying by Peter Drucker: "Organizational culture eats strategy for breakfast, lunch and dinner." A well-balanced strategic plan contains a clear vision of the desired culture and the desired organizational behavior necessary to be successful.

Our view: “Culture outperforms strategy every time, and culture with strategy is unbeatable.”

A Board of Directors or Advisory Board plays a significant role in executing a successful strategy. They can challenge you on your strategic plan and help optimize it. Furthermore, they are the ideal body to follow up on the execution of your strategy and keep it on track. They can also be your sounding board, if well composed. Involve them sufficiently and keep them thoroughly informed during the execution.

At Straight Business Partners, we support entrepreneurs in building balanced Boards. Furthermore, we provide support so your Board of Directors/Advisory Board functions well.

Firstly, it's important to have a clear picture of your entrepreneurial dream and what you want to create. The next step is recognizing the importance of a strategy. Importantly, you must be willing to go through the entire process: