It’s easy to fall in love with our own ideas. We nurture them, refine them, and envision them as the perfect solution to a problem. But just as a composer seeks feedback before a symphony’s debut, you as a strategist should also rigorously validate early versions of your strategy.
Why is this so critical? Because a strategy doesn’t implement itself. It requires the understanding, effort, and commitment of people across the organization. Without buy-in, even the most brilliant strategy will falter. The most beautiful score is worthless if the musicians refuse to play it.
Beyond Feedback: The Art of Strategic Validation
Validation sessions are not about seeking validation for your ideas. They are about stress-testing your assumptions and identifying potential blind spots. This process involves:
- Embracing Feedback. Encourage challenging questions and dissenting opinions. The more your strategy withstands scrutiny, the stronger it becomes. View critical individuals as valuable assets who can help you identify potential pitfalls. They are not naysayers; they are part of your strategic immune system.
- Protect the Key Thought. While you should be open to feedback, you must also safeguard the core essence of your strategy. The key thought is the unique identity and direction of your plan. It is the anchor that keeps you grounded amidst a sea of opinions. Don’t let feedback dilute the strategy to the point where it becomes bland and ineffective. The strategist’s job is to discern which feedback strengthens the core idea and which is simply noise.
- Validate using a variety of methods. You can validate your ideas through a number of channels, from informal conversations to formal workshops, to townhall presentations. The method(s) you choose should depend on the complexity of the idea and the audience you’re trying to reach. A simple idea could be tested with a small-scale prototype, while a more complex strategy might need a series of in-depth workshops with participants from across the organization.
For example, when validating a new employer brand, you can run workshops with different groups of employees to see how the messaging resonates. A campaign idea that seems perfect to the executive team might be seen as inauthentic by frontline employees. This feedback is invaluable. It helps you refine the execution of the strategy while preserving its core purpose. The key is to start early and iterate often. You can create a sense of shared ownership by involving others throughout the process, and pave the way for a more impactful execution.
