Para reflexão

Ter uma estratégia é fazer escolhas. É decidir o que fazer e, sobretudo, o que não fazer. Agora imagine-se uma empresa com uma orientação estratégica que tem seguido com disciplina:

"Now you are faced with a new opportunity—an opportunity that has the potential to generate significant revenue, but that doesn’t fit strategically with the scope of your organization. Nevertheless, your eyes open wider when you discover that the revenue potential is bigger than you originally anticipated. You are very tempted. What do you do? If you take the leap, you’re not alone. Many leaders don’t have the discipline to say “no” to money-making opportunities, even those that fall outside of the firm’s scope. And many times, that’s when a downward spiral begins. The company jumps in with both feet and starts chasing dollars without critically assessing whether the opportunity is strategically appropriate. The leader becomes so enamored with the idea of the new opportunity that he sacrifices his strategic direction. Once that’s gone or compromised, the company may lose focus altogether. The leader starts leading opportunistically rather than strategically, like a shark attacking anything that moves.
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Leaders don’t realize they are making a mistake, because making money is their job. So following money seems like a sensible strategy. It isn’t. It’s a substitute for strategy, and it can be a costly mistake.
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When a leader starts chasing dollars, she runs the risk of losing strategic direction and misallocating resources. (Moi ici: Ainda era eu consultor-criança e apenas tratava da conformidade com a ISO 9001, quando vi isto acontecer com uma empresa... hipotecar a sua independência, baseada numa marca para o segmento médio-alto, para servir encomendas do estrangeiro que pagavam bem e, particularmente interessante, muito rapidamente. Começou uma lenta drenagem de recursos de uma actividade para a outra. Acabaram por fechar ainda mesmo antes da China aproveitar a boleia da adesão à OMC na totalidade) Unbalanced orchestration, or unfocused leadership, is virtually guaranteed. Chasing after dollars is like taking “strategy spaghetti” and throwing it against the wall: whatever sticks becomes your next opportunity. There is no cohesive direction, no firm control. The leader has a problem that stems from irrational greed. She makes decisions without constraints—but a leader needs to work within constraints while avoiding constriction. Constraints set up parameters that represent your strategic direction—a leader’s responsibility. (Moi ici: No calçado encontramos, com alguma facilidade, empresas que sabem para que marcas internacionais não aceitam trabalhar) If the direction is too narrow, it constricts the flexibility you need to grow; if it’s too broad, it offers no guidance for decision making."

Quais são os seus limites?
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Os seus comerciais conhecem-nos? Compreendem a sua razão de ser?
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Trechos retirados de "The Wisdom of Failure" de Laurence Weinzimmer e Jim McConoughey