Your September strategy planning created impressive goals. Now comes the question that determines whether they actually work:
Do we have what it takes to make this real—the people, systems, and strengths to actually execute what we've planned?
Strategic planning processes often focus entirely on what to do without honestly asking whether we can actually do it. Leaders fall in love with their strategic vision without being radically candid about if they have the organizational muscle to make it real.
Companies create beautiful strategic plans that look impressive on paper but fall apart when they hit operational reality. That's why I always walk my clients through capability assessment before we finalize any strategic initiatives. It's the difference between strategies that work and strategies that disappoint.
October is your window. Before budgets lock and initiatives launch, you can still figure out what you need to actually execute before finalizing strategy.
How I Help Clients Build Strategy That Actually Works
When I work with distribution companies, I guide them through assessing two distinct types of capabilities. This isn't just a nice-to-have exercise—it's what ensures their strategies actually deliver results.
Organizational Capabilities: Your Foundation
These capabilities form your foundation. They're universal—every successful distribution company needs them, regardless of how they compete. When I assess these with clients, I'm looking for the engine that makes any strategy work.
Think of it this way: organizational capabilities are about how well your company operates as a company. Can your leadership team actually make decisions and follow through? Do you spot problems before they become crises? When a key employee leaves, can you replace them without everything falling apart?
For example, one client wanted to expand into three new markets simultaneously. But when we assessed their talent development capability, we discovered they couldn't even fill two critical positions in their existing markets. We built that capability first, then tackled expansion.
These aren't nice-to-haves. When my clients have these capabilities, their strategic initiatives succeed. When they don't, we build them first.
Business Model Capabilities: Your Competitive Edge
Business model capabilities are different—they're about how well you compete using your specific business model. A traditional distributor with physical locations needs different capabilities than an e-commerce distributor or a specialty technical distributor.
For a traditional distributor, supply chain excellence might mean managing inventory across multiple locations while maintaining fast local delivery. For an e-commerce distributor, it's about fulfillment speed and accuracy from centralized facilities.
Customer experience management looks different too. A traditional distributor might excel at face-to-face problem-solving and jobsite consultation, while an e-commerce distributor needs seamless online ordering and proactive digital communication.
One client ran both traditional branches and an e-commerce platform. They were great at the relationship-heavy traditional model but struggled online because they were trying to use the same capabilities. We had to build different customer experience capabilities for their digital business model.
Market intelligence works differently as well. Traditional distributors often rely on sales rep relationships and local market knowledge, while e-commerce distributors need data analytics and digital marketing capabilities to understand and reach customers.
These capabilities determine not just whether your strategy works, but whether it creates lasting competitive advantage using your specific way of doing business.
When I Conduct This Assessment With Clients
Once we're clear on what organizational and business model capabilities their strategy actually requires, I guide my clients through this assessment at four critical points:
Strategic Planning Season gives us the natural opportunity to assess whether your capabilities align with strategic direction. As part of our strategic plans, we honestly evaluate whether you have what it takes to execute successfully.
Major Initiative Launch is another critical point. Before launching any significant strategic project, we figure out whether you have the capabilities to ensure success, or whether building those capabilities needs to be part of the plan.
Market Shift Response creates urgent needs. When market conditions change dramatically, we evaluate whether your current capabilities still work in the new reality.
Quarterly Reviews offer regular opportunities to assess whether capability gaps are limiting your progress. Your quarterly strategy reviews should include capability evaluation alongside traditional performance metrics.
The clients who go through this process with me consistently deliver on their strategic commitments. They understand that building capability and executing strategy work together—each strengthens the other.
Your October Opportunity
Your September strategy session created direction. Your October capability assessment ensures that direction becomes competitive advantage.
Before you finalize your strategic initiatives for the coming year, ask yourself: Do we actually have what it takes to make this work? The answer to that question determines whether you'll be celebrating success or explaining missed targets twelve months from now.
Next week: I'll share the specific framework I use with clients to assess strategic capabilities—the organizational and business model capabilities we evaluate together, and how we conduct this assessment using real examples rather than wishful thinking.