Last Blog I challenged you on what you had to say when the chief last set direction for your organisation, division or business unit. Whether or not you had plenty of input on the direction, you are sure to have impact on how the organisation gets there.

One of the classic misses by key decision makers is that one big, powerful decision can become unfurled by the many decisions that must follow. Think about it. “We are going to vertically integrate to double our net profit in the automotive coatings market by December 2017”. This may be a brilliant decision, however, if you do not put into place all the necessary guidance, controls and motivation for management and staff, chances are you will not be nearly as successful as you would hope. I wrote about this in a Blog called The Decision Value Curve and I expand on it in my book DECIDE: How to Manage the Risk in Your Decision Making.

What I also go on to say in my book is that what is needed for sound implementation is a team of creative leaders forming talented teams with focused people.

If you are an internal advisor that helps set direction, what is your role with the creative leaders and talented teams? Decision support. They will need help from your support function so they can navigate through any unchartered waters efficiently and effectively. Without any need to backtrack, or worse, having to stop and explain themselves to the chief.

Are you and your team helping the business navigate efficiently and effectively?