Search
Close this search box.
Search
Close this search box.

Distraction Or Disruption? It Matters For Strategy

executive surrounded by pages of text
AdobeStock
The flurry of Executive Orders—and the way it has dominated the news cycle—has made it more challenging to determine the true impact to your business. But it still has to be done.

Within days of the Presidential Inauguration, the U.S. saw a flurry of leadership and policy shifts. While not entirely unanticipated, the range, volume and reach of Executive Orders has dominated conversation.

Whether personally supporting or opposing the directives, executives must sort through them all, understand their specific and broader implications, and take action.

News outlets, social media, experts and individuals—everyone is eager to comment on, react to and make sense of the changes coming at them rapid-fire. Staff inside and outside government must evaluate what they’re doing and how they are working. Further, several orders directly impact individuals, likely including staff or customers.

Talking with executives across a wide range of industries in both for-profit and not-for-profit environments, I noted an interesting question:

Do the policy shifts signal a disruption to your business or are they a distraction?

Both distraction and disruption make it harder to get work done and can impede progress toward objectives. Nevertheless, they are different, an important distinction that matters for how you take strategy forward. A change in trade policy, such as revised tariffs or new restrictions on foreign partnerships, can either be a distraction or a disruption depending on the industry. A multinational retailer sourcing products from overseas may see a disruption that affects pricing, profitability and competitive positioning, while a professional services firm focused on domestic clients might experience only a minor distraction as it navigates industry discourse but sees little direct impact. For CEOs, distinguishing between these levels of impact helps determine whether to adjust strategy or simply manage the internal noise created by external shifts.

Understand the nature of the onslaught

The best way to determine course of action is to take a beat to assess the scope and impact of the changes more deeply and specifically.

• Distraction: Usually transient, temporary, with limited or specific impact. Nevertheless, without deliberate attention, they tend to compound over time as anxiety spreads. Water cooler or Slack conversations no longer advance the work and relationships; instead, they simply consume time. Progress stalls. Or sometimes, what may feel like a non sequitur may in fact be a new or unexpected opportunity.

  • What is the real work here?
  • How will you guide your team to quiet the noise and focus on value delivered?

• Disruption: Fundamentally changes the business context. Like a distraction, this adds to anxiety, particularly when the disruption creates new uncertainty. Abrupt, dramatic disruption can provoke a crisis mentality that may or may not be helpful.

  • What part of your business is most vulnerable in this situation?
  • How deep or broad is the impact?
  • And your customers: How might you help them address their vulnerabilities?

There is value in seeing the situation differently, prompted by answering these questions. Further, visibility is key to making your strategy work. Whether the company is facing rapid change, a crisis or the cacophony that each often produces, it’s difficult for CEOs to have a clear line of sight about what’s going on.

Taking a breath and discerning the difference between distraction and disruption will help with clarity. From there, leaders can identify the actions required and the urgency of their response. And of course, they should monitor both the efficacy of their response and the evolution of the situation.

How you show up as a leader matters

Whether distracting or disruptive, sweeping change—like that potentially precipitated by the recent Executive Orders—affects real people. Customers. Staff. Stakeholders. Partners. Board members. What impacts them also affects your business context. It doesn’t matter whether you support or oppose a particular change, or even whether or not you like it. It is very likely that your organization includes people holding both views. But how you show up as a leader matters.

Executives cannot remain on the sidelines

Consider taking these three actions:

• Be the calm in the storm. As CEO, you and your executive team set the tone for the organization. Your words, actions and decisions reflect values and commitment to their people. Use constructive language and guide others to understand and accept the range of emotions, viewpoints and ideas present within your teams.

• Nurture trust and build new relationships. Involve unexpected or previously unlikely parties. Focus on common outcomes and what each contributes to their achievement. Together, you may find a new path forward.

• Engage the board. The executives I advise routinely rely on the varied experiences and perspectives of their board members. While this is always a valuable way in which boards contribute, it has even greater potential for positive impact during a crisis, (as I wrote for Corporate Board Member here.) Like the Farmers’ Insurance tagline, they “know a few things because they’ve seen a few things.” Why not tap that experience?

Distraction or disruption: it matters for strategy. And executives cannot remain on the sidelines. Discern the nature of the changes mandated by the Executive Orders—or whatever shift you face—and take action. Above all, ignore the situation’s human impact at your peril, both personally and for your business.


MORE LIKE THIS

upcoming events

Roundtable

Strategic Planning Workshop

1:00 - 5:00 pm

Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process

Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:

  1. Lack of systematic approach (70%)
  2. Laundry lists without prioritization (68%)
  3. Decisions based on personalities rather than facts and information (65%)

 

Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns.  They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning.  Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process.  This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented.  If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form.  The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.

To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.

New York, NY: ​​​Chief Executive's Corporate Citizenship Awards 2017

Women in Leadership Seminar and Peer Discussion

2:00 - 5:00 pm

Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations. 

Limited space available.

To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $495 will be added to your total.

Golf Outing

10:30 - 5:00 pm
General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
Sponsored by UBS

General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.

The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.

To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $295 will be added to your total.