The other day, I baked a cake for my niece and nephew’s birthday. And if I can compliment myself, it was one of my better creations. After 8 labor-intensive hours, I had completed my masterpiece only to realize that the cake was too big to fit into the container I needed to transport it to their house.
Without thinking, I tried desperately to make the cake fit. The outcome was that all my hard work was no longer the exquisite creation I worked so hard to create; but a broken version tailored to fit the container.
Of course when I mentioned my challenge to those not so close to the cake creation, they were full of ideas on how I could have fixed the situation. As I drove to NJ to deliver the crushed cake, I started to think of the similarities of my cake challenge with what so many companies deal with in their corporate development.
Building a strategy to take a company forward can be an intensive process and the outcome if most often something you can be proud of. But then, so often we see that the current organization doesn’t “fit” to this new strategy and trying to “force it” (like with my cake) will most often crumble and destroy the creation.
What if you didn’t quick try to “make it work” but thought about ways to compromise and adjust to the current climate? What if you sought advise from others outside the organization that may have a different and often fresh perspective?
This thinking is often discussed but so often forgotten during the implementation. I’ve read great case studies and articles, like this one from Harvard Business Review, on this very topic. But my cake story reminded me how easily we can successfully plan and let the execution fall short.
Successful companies are taking the time to create the perfect organization but recognize that this new approach needs to fit the current situation. And if it doesn’t, don’t force it. Think about alternatives and seek advice and options from those a bit more removed from the exercise. A fresh perspective can go a long way.
