As a board member, have you related to Alice?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p> Most people know Alice in\u00a0Wonderland. But why, as a board member, do you have to deal with Alice?\u00a0Bringing\u00a0in\u00a0this metaphor into the boardroom\u00a0is this\u00a0just even more hot air to the already hot air that surrounds strategy and business development?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p> All boards know about their tasks,\u00a0roles\u00a0and responsibilities. One of the responsibilities is the strategic angle, including setting out the direction of the company. Many have experience of the strategy process and know that a plan is very important and essential for success. But many also find the task of drawing up the strategic plan too difficult and sometimes unmanageable. There are many elements to deal with, various people\u00a0to\u00a0be involved and all the sub-elements must be summarized. It is both time consuming and resource-intensive \u2013 especially when things changing\u00a0at the\u00a0speed\u00a0that they do, and the strategy must therefore always be up to date.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p> From chaos to overview<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p> Over the past several years I have worked with strategy in the good “old fashioned” way, where various preliminary work is carried out, various analyses are prepared, qualitative interviews are conducted with customers, suppliers, employees and so on. Next, the management team, management, board of directors, the strategy group, etc. gather for various workshops. Time is spent on preparation, planning, analysis, facilitation, interviews, documentation, notes,\u00a0presentations\u00a0and reporting. Various employees are taken out of service \u2013 often several days\u00a0with\u00a0conference rooms, meals, driving, etc.\u00a0to be booked and paid.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p> “From that experience, I decided that something had to be done about it, and that’s how<\/span><\/i>\u00a0MakeMyStrategy\u2122<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>became a reality\u201d.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u202f<\/span>What does Alice in Wonderland have to do with strategy?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p> Many companies often make the strategy work very difficult, analytical and time consuming, which means that the strategy work is downgraded both because of time and money. It’s a shame because all experience shows that a targeted plan leads to higher success rates. And this is where Alice in\u00a0Wonderland comes in. In the\u00a0fairy tale, Alice gets lost in the fairytale forest. In the woods, she meets the\u00a0Cheshire\u00a0Cat, and Alice\u00a0asks\u00a0“Which way should I go?”. To this, the\u00a0Cheshire Cat\u00a0replies\u00a0“It depends on where you are going”. Alice\u00a0replies\u00a0“I don’t really know” and the\u00a0Cheshire Cat replies back “Then it doesn’t matter which way you choose”. Transferred to the boardroom and the company in general, it is essential that the board and management are aligned and are completely clear on the strategy and the goal. Otherwise, there are a lot of “Alices” running around the company working in different directions.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>