HOW TO CONDUCT A STRATEGY REVIEW
rearview mirror—focusing too much on last year’s strate gic plan—you should spend some time discussing how well it was executed. How close did you come to achiev ing its goals? I never ask people for a lot of numbers, just some trend numbers. But then you have to ask, are the trend numbers about the same, and did people do what they said they’d do, or is this just another day in the life of things that don’t happen? Search for ways to link as many of these events as possible as a basis for establish ing credibility. ■ ■ ■
The strategy review is also a good place for a leader to learn about and develop people. You’ll find out about their strategic-thinking capabilities, both as individuals and as a group. At the end of the review, you’ll have a good perspective on the people involved and an assess ment about their potential for promotion. And you’ll have had opportunities to coach people.
QUESTIONS TO RAISE AT A STRATEGY REVIEW In the strategy review, you’ll be going over the same crit ical issues that you developed in building the strategic plan (chapter 7). But in this expanded group, you’ll be getting a fresh diversity of viewpoints. The CFO’s staff will be looking at the plan’s financial realism. The human resources people will be questioning the implications for leadership development. And so on. In the end, the discussion must answer the key ques209