Here's what strategy means for you
I've been asked: who needs a strategy, especially for EHS organizations?
Before I respond, I am knowingly breaking one of the rules I describe in my course.
The answer to who needs a strategy is very simple: everyone.
This isn't a marketing or sales ploy. I really believe that. I am under the impression that no matter who you are and what part of the organization you are in, a strategy is needed. Part of the reason why I think a lot of people would raise an eyebrow at my response would be that they really don't have a true grasp on what strategy really is.
Spoiler alert, I am going to give away the secret to my course...
Strategy in its simplest terms is defining what is our winning aspiration, where do we play and how do we win1. A lot of people have a preconceived notion that strategy is some incredibly corporate process that is only done at the highest level to make the biggest decisions. But that is not the case even though that is where we see and hear the terms the most. Strategy takes many forms, in many places and many people don't even really know they are doing it.
Are you a...
...Director? You are setting the direction of the organization. If you don't have a clear vision of what you need to do, where you do it and how you are going to get there, everyone underneath you is just fumbling around on a random set of activities with no clear path.
...Individual contributor? You have to be a strategic thinker and in some cases, even more so than the people above you. Since you are the ones doing most (if not all) of the actual day-to-day work, you see where the problems are the most. BUT, that can be a hinderance as well. Because you are so engrained in the daily work, it may be hard to see the bigger picture. That is why understanding how to analyze, build and execute a strategy gives you a leg up on being able to equip senior leaders with the information they need to make well-informed strategic decisions, not in a vacuum.
...Consultant? Well separate from the obvious entrepreneurial reasons, understanding strategy helps you and your clients. Its not a enough to just give clients what they need right now, its important to bestow a forward thinking mindset to help prepare them for the future. Help them help themselves by teaching them the reasons and the how tos of strategic action. Because once you solve that one thing and you are gone, there is still a lot of work to be done and problems to solve. Can they intelligently answer, am I solving the right problems even after you leave?
...Someone in public service? Maybe even more than someone in the private sector, having a strategy is incredibly important. You are already behind your private sector counterparts working with less money, less resources, all while stuck in a bureaucratic loop that is seemingly never ending. You have a responsibility to not only save money where you can, but also spend it intelligently. Do we need new personal protective equipment or new trucks? Is it more important to do workforce planning or spend money on recruitment efforts? What's the right answer? My simple answer would be to refer to your already built strategy which should help guide you to it.
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You have to understand that your strategy has to be more than "keep people safe". That's not a strategy. That's just something you want to do, something that is a result of the work you do. Strategy is similar to a mission in many ways, where, at least in your winning aspiration, it is a concise articulation of your highest desire. It defines your winning aspiration and gives you the advantage of having a constant to refer back to when looking to determine what activities you should be doing or what direction you should be heading. Strategy statements are similar, but not the same as mission statements. The idea is somewhat the same but different in its actionable purpose. But if we use the same concepts when looking at mission statements as we do strategy statements that may help us shed some light on making this all make sense.
Life Is Good is a clothing company. Their strategy isn't "make clothes". There is no purpose in that nor is there any inspiration behind it. Instead, their mission is "to spread the power of optimism." A statement of this nature stands to inspire the workers at the company to do more than make clothes but work to spread the power of optimism to the people they serve, using clothing. Now that's powerful. The same can be done with a well built strategy for EHS. Circling back on our strategy, it has to wrap itself up in your winning aspiration but include, even if only hinting at, where do you play.
Here's some other good examples of mission statements I've seen:
Patagonia: "Build the best product, Cause no unnecessary harm, Use business to protect nature, Not bound by convention."
American Express: "Become essential to our customers by providing differentiated products and services to help them achieve their aspirations"
TED: "Spread ideas, foster community and create impact."2
The point here again is that strategy is for you, its for our senior leaders, its for consultants, its for everyone.
Take your EHS programs to the next level by building and executing a strategy for your organization.
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Whenever you're ready, here's how I can help:
Building Your EHS Strategy - I made this course to help you do everything we've talked about. There are millions of resources out there around this kind of topic. I've done the research for you and broken down its elements in a simple and concise manner for you to do this without help from others. Check it out for yourself. You also can get into a preview of the full course for free here.
Advice and counsel - whether you've taken the course or not, I'm happy to sit down with you if you need help. It can be on EHS strategy specifically or about any EHS or business matter. Find some time that works for the both of us and let's sit down to chat.
References
1.. Martin, R. L., & Lafley, A. G. (2014). Playing to Win: How strategy really works. Harvard Business Review.
2. Cox, L. K. (2023, May 11). 32 Mission and Vision Statement Examples That Will Inspire Your Buyers. HubSpot Blog. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/inspiring-company-mission-statements
