Culture or sales first? Generalists or specialists? When plotting your business strategy, the possibilities seem endless. What if we placed people front and centre of our business intent? Three tips from Damon Kelly – CEO of humanistic technology designer Enlighten Designs – on how to tap into the people value that drives and underlies innovation success on the global stage.

Why is strategy so hard?

Organisational strategy is multi-faceted. At each level, the key to business success lies in decision making. The starting barometer at the corporate level is “What business are we in?”. Decisions at this level are akin to the industry the company competes in. Strategy guru Michael Porter says, “Strategy is about setting yourself apart from the competition. It’s not a matter of being better at what you do – it’s a matter of being different at what you do.” In New Zealand we’re especially lucky to have many opportunities at partnering and sharing our successes, with our many small innovators leveraging tools and ideas onto the world market. Crafting our strategy will need to be both unique and collaborative as it’s likely we will follow similar paths getting there.

How to succeed at strategy

Know your niche

Realise first that the global market is enormous, so you ideally want to find a niche offering then be the best in the world at it. At Enlighten, we did this by tapping into data storytelling using Microsoft Power BI. We not only developed world-class skills but also built products to support others interested in this space. We now have a collection of the most popular custom visuals for Power BI that data analysts, storytellers and journalists all over the world use to tell better stories.

Align your technology

Focus, focus and then focus some more. You want to ensure you intimately know your customers, that you’re the best in the world at what you do, and that you’re letting everyone know about it. This is where having a great website and using advanced content management systems like Sitecore with in-built marketing automation to get your brand out to the world can be a game-changer.

Use growing digital channels

New Zealand has always suffered from the tyranny of distance, being physically located so far away from large international markets. However, Covid-19 has transformed the world into one that is  far more accepting of both video conferencing and remote work. This change has significantly evened up the playing field for New Zealand companies to take and scale their innovations globally using their digital channels like never before.

Solidifying your business strategy presents a mighty challenge, but it can be conquered. Scaling up is an inside out process – it’s about who we are. Start with the right decisions, and you’ll lead your company in the right directions.