More often than I would have expected, I get asked by a client to advise on the technology their team is using. This usually comes up as part of a reorganization of the team and/or strategy, and might involve discussion about media monitoring, social media management and analytics, content tools, CRMs, email marketing, or project management software.
These can be complex and time-consuming discussions, actually - how many licenses do we need? Do we need pro accounts? Does this one integrate with that?
However, if I'm spending more time talking about technology than I spent talking about strategy - if the strategy has not been developed, or has not been fully baked - that's a time to pause.
The strategy is the soil, the sun and the rain. It's the thinking from which everything grows. If you have a solid strategy, it answers questions and makes decisions.
"What do we do next?" What does the strategy indicate?
"Should we take X up on this opportunity?" Does it align with the strategy?
Leadership commonly falls down at strategy development because it's inherently time consuming, and leaders in healthcare, non-profit and government are time poor. Strategy work requires consultation, thinking, and building consensus - it doesn't happen in a one hour call. It's hard work, and it's often team work.
Hard work pays dividends though. Don't skimp on strategy, you do yourself a disservice. Invest upfront, because it gets more expensive later.
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