I'm going to go out on a limb here: an astonishing number of managers in Denmark are novices when it comes to strategy. They know it themselves - but unfortunately it's a taboo.

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A study by the Center for Owner-Managed Companies at CBS indicates that only 3 percent of owner-managers in companies master strategy.

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For myself, I regularly experience strategy meetings where the top leader only mentions 20 minutes into the meeting that he or she doesn't really understand "all that strategy stuff".

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And many may recognise the raucous silence at the leadership seminar when the facilitator starts the day by asking: What is strategy anyway? Some leaders almost make a virtue out of not spending time on all that "strategy crap".

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The thing is, it's expensive to close your eyes to your own blind spots. Studies show that companies in the same industry that actively work on strategy have 2 times higher profits and 3 times higher growth than their competitors in the industry.

A taboo

So, dear manager, if you're one of those who doesn't understand strategy, consider saying it out loud - before you're asked to deliver on it. Because perhaps concealment is at the heart of the problem.

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You're not a bad leader because you haven't mastered the strategy discipline. It's a skill that isn't taught in many courses.

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You'll only be a bad leader if you pretend to know something you don't. One thing is that your company's strategy is at risk of breaking down. Another is that you risk setting processes in motion where no one really knows what they're doing - or why.

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READ ALSO: THE GOOD GENERATIONAL CHANGE IS FULL OF EMOTIONS

Show the vulnerability

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Often it is much more fruitful to put vulnerability on the table - tell it like it is: "Friends, we do too much that doesn't really add value. We need to focus and look further ahead. The strategy thing doesn't come naturally to me. Who in the organisation can drive this task?".

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Such an approach creates a more secure management environment because vulnerability is not taboo - but turned into something productive. At the same time, delegating strategy development can involve more people in the organisation. Involvement in itself contributes to making the strategy better and more alive in the organisation.

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Arm length does not equal decoupling, of course. As a leader, you are still responsible for the direction and outcome. And of course you can't just hand the job over to staff who don't feel equipped for it either (then you'd better hope they say it out loud too).

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But being open about your own blind spots allows you to go from being an amateur strategy expert to a bullshit detector.

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For example, you can insist that the strategy leads to concrete actions. Even the student worker must feel the strategy in everyday life. At the same time, it should contain clear opt-outs, otherwise it is typically just a description of everything you are already trying to do. And if you can't remember the most important priorities after a week, it's irrelevant. Just to start somewhere.

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Remember: A useless strategy is merely an expression of poor craftsmanship - not of strategy worthlessness.

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This column was published on Jyllands-Posten Finance and in Jyllands-Posten, Erhverv on 13 May 2022

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