I'm going to go out on a limb here: A surprising number of managers in Denmark are novices when it comes to strategy. They know it themselves - but unfortunately it's a taboo.

‍

A study from the Center for Owner-Managed Businesses at CBS points out that only 3 percent of owner-managers in companies master strategy.

‍

Personally, I regularly experience strategy meetings where the top leader mentions 20 minutes into the meeting that he or she doesn't really understand "all that strategy stuff".

‍

And many can probably recognize the noisy silence at the leadership seminar when the facilitator starts the day by asking: What is strategy anyway? Some leaders almost make a virtue of not spending time on all that "strategy nonsense".

‍

The thing is, turning a blind eye to your own blind spots is costly. Studies show that companies in the same industry that actively work with strategy have 2 times higher profits and 3 times higher growth than their industry competitors.

And taboo

‍
So, dear leader, if you're one of those who doesn't understand strategy, consider saying it out loud - before you're asked to deliver on it. Because perhaps concealment is at the heart of the problem.

‍

You're not a bad leader because you haven't mastered the discipline of strategy. It's a craft that is not part of the curriculum in many programs.

‍

You only become a bad leader if you pretend to know something you don't. It's one thing for your company's strategy to risk being disrupted. Another is that you risk setting processes in motion where no one really knows what they're doing - or why.

‍

READ ALSO: THE GOOD GENERATIONAL TRANSITION IS FULL OF EMOTIONS

Show the vulnerability

‍

Often it's far more fruitful to put vulnerability on the table - tell it like it is: "Guys, we're doing too much that doesn't add real value. We need to focus and look further ahead. Strategy doesn't come naturally to me. Who in the organization can drive this task?".

‍

This approach creates a safer management environment because vulnerability is not taboo - but turned into something productive. At the same time, delegating strategy development can involve more people in the organization. Involvement in itself contributes to the strategy becoming better and more alive in the organization.

‍

Of course, arm's length does not equal decoupling. As a manager, you are still responsible for the direction and outcome. And of course, you can't just hand the task over to employees who don't feel up to it either (you'd better hope they say it out loud).

‍

But being open about your blind spots means you can go from being an amateur strategy expert to a bull-shit detector.

‍

For example, you can insist that the strategy leads to concrete actions. Even the student worker needs to feel the strategy in everyday life. At the same time, it must contain clear opt-outs, otherwise it's typically just a description of everything you're already trying to do. And if you can't remember the most important priorities after a week, it's really irrelevant. Just to start somewhere.

‍

Remember: A useless strategy is only a sign of poor craftsmanship - not a worthless strategy.

‍

This column is published on Jyllands-Postens Finance and in Jyllands-Posten, Business on May 13, 2022

‍

Try our digital platform for free HERE