This Isn't For You
Photo by Romain Vignes on Unsplash
In the list of priorities of any organization, and specifically the management team, keeping everyone happy cannot be high up there. Any mission and its related strategy will - if done with concerted intent, structured focus and ability to execute in mind - polarize. That is, it will have its proponents and its detractors.
And if you, as a leader, have done your homework and have determined that that strategy is fit for purpose and the best path forward, then bringing everyone along cannot be a priority.
Not that you shouldn't explain yourself or your plans or your proposed actions. That is important and you absolutely need to.
But at some point, people will have been given all the information they need, they’ll have heard all sides of the issue, and they’ll have to make a decision. At that point, those who want to buy in, will have bought in, and those who don’t, won’t.
The goal for any organization, then, needs to be to move forward in earnest and execute to the fullest extent possible. The fact that some folks won’t come along for the ride is fine and, in many cases, actually good for the organization. Folks need to buy in, or opt out.
This idea, by the way, is as important when it comes to customers.
You cannot please everyone with what you offer. Trying to do so is a straight ticket to mediocrity. To really make a difference, to generate “superfans” requires you to hone in on what a specific subset of your customer base wants, and then deliver that to the fullest extent possible.
Doing anything else is, by definition, dilutive. Focus and deliver the maximum value through a focused strategy to a defined target audience.
And just like what happens within the organization, it follows that not everyone will buy in to what you’re doing. That’s fine (as hard as it may be to accept). What you’re offering simply isn’t for those folks. But for those who stick around, you’ll actually deliver greater impact for a longer period of time and, ultimately, create more value.
What we do - if we’ve given it enough thought - will not be for everyone, inside or outside the company. The key is to figure that out as early in the life of your enterprise as possible and get on with it.
