‘Are your people’s capabilities the most important element to the success of your strategy?’
The question is deliberately closed. There is a yes or no answer. Allow time to think but only one thing can be most important. Don’t accept hedging.
If the Answer is No
Get out now!
That’s a CEO who doesn’t understand that any strategy execution takes real human capability. Process and technology can and will be copied. Without better people and better organisation, any advantage is fleeting.
Even a tech monolith like Google at the heart of Silicon Valley’s tech wizardry gets that people make the difference. Leave before the robots and algorithms get you.
If the Answer is Yes
A capability-led strategy is the best foundation to begin the experimentation that is the future of work. Your organisation is committed to a growth mindset about its people. When the strategic role of people is clear, there is room for the conversations about bettering how they learn, work and organise themselves.
Success comes when an organisation recognises that only through helping its people grow faster can it outperform. There is no strategy in your organisation that isn’t implemented through the capability of your people. Adopt a growth mindset. Be compassionate. Lead and realise the potential of people.
After all, people are the only part of your strategy that can surprise on the upside.
