Strategy Documents Make Great Doorstops
“Why do strategies almost always fail to live up to expectations?” Raphael S. Cohen poses this question in his Lawfare blog article “Why Strategies Disappoint—and How To Fix Them”. A regular Benari blog reader sent Cohen’s blog post to me with a note saying, “I thought of you as I read this piece.”
Is my skepticism about such things so obvious? Indeed, I am fully in agreement with the military leaders Cohen quotes who decry the uselessness of so many of the strategic documents the United States military produces. My favorite comment comes from former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Michèle Flournoy, who “lamented that the major defense strategy – the Quadrennial Defense Review – had devolved into ‘a glossy coffee table brochure.’”
How can it be that with their vast resources the military produces strategic documents with so little clear and useful strategy? According to Cohen, “strategies disappoint because they fail to be succinct, sharp, and substantial.” He goes on to say, “they fail because leaders are unwilling to make difficult decisions.” And there you have a succinct, sharp, and substantial assessment of the problem with many strategies, both military and corporate.
“Leaders are unwilling to make difficult decisions.” What an indictment of leaders! And, as a result of this unwillingness, their strategies not only aren’t succinct, sharp, and substantial, they’re useless for guiding the organization forward. As former National Security Council staffers Richard Fontaine and Shawn Brimley say, “these strategy documents are mostly a lot of hot air.”
What causes this unwillingness to make difficult decisions? Fear of failure or being wrong, a desire to include everyone and get consensus, and a reluctance to fully commit. And, once again, the result? Strategies filled with gobbledygook that are without focus, without direction and without actionable recommendations, leaving everything open to interpretation.
Poor strategies lead to confusion about goals, poor execution, and lousy results. In the corporate world the company loses money and some people get fired. In the military world…people die.
Don’t be an indecisive leader. Be decisive, make decisions, and develop succinct, sharp, and substantial strategies…and then stand tall and execute them well.
Some people will be unhappy. Some people will resist. Some people will have their resources reduced and their ideas cast aside. But most people will be energized and excited and unite around a clear vision and plan for going forward.
Be succinct. Be sharp. Be substantial. Be decisive.
The last thing your organization needs is another coffee table book or doorstop.