Leaders often make a critical mistake when developing company strategy: They involve too many people in the process.
The result? The opposite of what they hoped for:
The exercise eats up resources,
Control over the process weakens,
Conflicts and grievances multiply,
Respect for the leader declines,
Instead of a strategy – a fiction,
Everyone sticks to their own perspective,
and the team lacks unity.
A leader may use plenty of elegant words to justify this approach. But the real reason?
Fear of taking full responsibility for the outcome. This fear drives the attempt to share the burden with others. Often, that's also why moderators and business consultants are brought into the mix.
Yes, uncertainty weighs heavily on the leader. But every competitor feels the same weight. The difference is, some impose their strategy on the market, while others follow the crowd.
The overwhelmed leader thinks: “Everyone around me expects a winning strategy—employees, co-owners, investors, creditors, clients. Am I a magician? I don’t have the answer. And I can’t admit that to anyone!”
Think of the image of Atlas holding up the sky. It’s brutally hard. I’ve been a CEO myself—my shoulders still remember it. But I also remember the relief—mine and that of other leaders I’ve helped.
There’s no real dilemma between holding up the sky alone or dumping it on others.
The load needs to be meaningfully divided, with each participant taking a piece they can handle. While all share similar intentions, their understanding of the context, roles and responsibilities varies.
I firmly believe that within every company, the resources needed to craft a winning strategy already exist. The leader has a choice:
a) Struggle alone, risking burnout,
b) Shift responsibility onto the team, moderators, etc.,
c) Create the conditions for the strategy to reveal itself naturally.
Someday, I’ll detail how this works. For now, here’s one tip:
If you’re a founder-CEO, hold off on calling a strategy session until you’ve answered this one question: “What’s it all for?”
Sincerely yours,
-Alexander
About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.
How can I help you?
If you've long been trying to understand what is limiting you and/or your business and how to finally give important changes a push, then The Catalyst Session is designed specifically for you. Book it here.