When Leaders Really Walk the Talk:
Making Strategy Work
Through People
Timothy J. Galpin, Practice Leader for Merger & Acquisition Services, Watson Wyatt Worldwide

G

rowth has returned to the loretront of competitive thought for shaping commerce into the next millennium. Yet, many business leaders

would argue that growth never left the collective corporate consciousness. They contend that the downsizing and cost cutting of the early 1990s were done to position the company for growth. This may be true; however, activities focused on the cost side of the profit equation were a relatively simple "strategy" to pursue.
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HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING

Witli laptops in liund, armies ol consullaiils were employed lo chum out graphs, charts, and tables that bolstered recommended head cuts in organizations across the globe. However, these activities have now given way to more popular growth activities. Strategies such as mergers and acquisitions, new market penetration, mass customization, customer intimacy, strategic alliances, and the like are all in the sights of businesses large atid small. More difficult than a downsizing strategy to develop and document, growth strategies, once contrived, present management with an even greater challenge: how to make their strategies work.
Turning strategic plans into tangible business results can frustrate even the most seasoned manager. Unfortunately, the scenario follows an all-too-familiar pattern. First, there is

often surprise that planning is even taking place. Consultants are brought in by senior management. They set up in a back room with a small team from the client (usually included for "involvement" purposes). And, they come out after several months with the golden
"answer," neatly bound in a four-inch binder complete with all supporting data and documentation. Then comes some