Let’s celebrate.
We’ve arrived.
We made it to StraightTalk No. 100. What a journey this has been together! It is my sincerest wish that the StraightTalk series – with the support of our many talented guests – has helped you to unpack business architecture, push the boundaries of your thinking, and gain a deeper understanding of the discipline and its unique and powerful strengths that it brings to bear on organizations, ecosystems, and the world.
This is also a celebration of us, the global business architecture community, and how far we’ve come in terms of formalization and most importantly impact. While we still have a long way to go, the momentum is building, success stories are accruing, and the adoption of business architecture and strategy execution concepts is increasing on a global scale.
Here’s to you – the business architecture practitioners, leaders, and advocates worldwide – for being catalysts and change agents that introduce the discipline to your organization. We laud you for your vision, courage, hard work, patience, persistence, and humility. For delivering business results, for helping others to think differently; for relentlessly serving as advocates for your customers and organization. For lifting each other up. And for never giving up.
We Have a Dream….
Some of us may be called business architects and many of us may orient around this thing called business architecture, but we know it’s not really about the business architecture.
We have a new vision for strategy execution and new ways of working in our organizations and ecosystems. We have a dream where our mindsets and behaviors shift in ways that:
- Focus “outside-in” on value delivery for customers (versus “inside out”)
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Facilitate cross-organization collaboration and investments (versus siloes)
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Create end-to-end alignment from strategy to execution (versus disconnects)
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Design our organizations with intent for today and tomorrow (versus by sheer accident)
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Think big picture in decisions and problem-solving (versus narrow, siloed perspectives)
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Lead with business and goals first (versus technology and solutions)
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Slow down enough to do the right things fast (versus just doing things fast)
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Combine purpose and profit for the good of all (versus just one or the other)
In our ever-changing, connected, and digital world, we believe these positive shifts will help our organizations thrive and create a collective future that we are proud to share.
Business architecture provides a common language and blueprint for an entire organization and the ecosystem in which it operates – from a bird’s eye view. It gives us a unique value stream and capability lens to see an organization through fresh and strategic eyes. It provides the scaffolding to connect the pieces across the entire business and technology environment and from strategy to execution.
Business architects themselves have unique gifts to connect the dots and think strategically and deeply about business challenges and opportunities. However, we are always mindful of our place in the bigger picture. We know that business architecture is a means to an end, not the end itself. The business architecture knowledgebase and our unique abilities offer key enablers and vital underpinnings that support this vision, but we serve the bigger picture — working hand-in-hand with every other team. We catalyze and steward this movement because we see it and we believe in it. We know that to truly succeed we need to do it in partnership with others.
There are many easier paths to choose from than business architecture, so we are all bonded by our vision and commitment to something greater than ourselves. We want to make a meaningful contribution and the greatest difference in the world.
So, this is our call to action. It’s a call for bold leadership, vision, and collaboration. We believe in the discipline of business architecture and the benefits and transformation that it enables. With a definite purpose, faith, and persistence, our vision will become real. Let’s find our friends and start a movement for the benefit of our organizations and world.
Business Architecture Straight Talk: 100 Insights to Guide the Journey
In closing, here’s one last piece – in true StraightTalk style – a compilation of 100 short insights to help propel our business architecture journey into the future.
You can also read and share the 100 insights on Twitter here or on Thread Reader App.
More Good Stuff...
The Top 10 StraightTalks: Here are ten important installments of StraightTalk that will bring you back to the bigger picture and help to guide your journey: Post No. 72 on The Secret, Post No. 68 on bridging silos, Post No. 2 on business architecture value, Posts No. 3 and No. 50 on business architecture + strategy execution and how to put it into practice, Post No. 81 on translating strategy into initiatives, Post No. 64 on showing up with WOW, Post No. 49 on the dos and don’ts of establishing a business architecture practice, Post. No. 98 with wisdom from business architecture practice leaders, and Post No. 96 on business architect strengths.
Conquering the Business Architecture Summit (S2E): A passion piece on the journey to start and mature a business architecture practice, using mountain as metaphor. Refer back to this one when the journey feels hard. Remember how far you’ve come and remember you’re never alone.
Changing Company Culture Requires a Movement, Not a Mandate (HBR): Business architects are not only architects, but also leaders, change agents, and movement makers.
“We often think of movements as starting with a call to action. But movement research suggests that they actually start with emotion – a diffuse dissatisfaction with the status quo and a broad sense that the current institutions and power structures of the society will not address the problem. This brewing discontent turns into a movement when a voice arises that provides a positive vision and a path forward that’s within the power of the crowd. What’s more, movements typically start small. They begin with a group of passionate enthusiasts who deliver a few modest wins. While these wins are small, they’re powerful in demonstrating efficacy to nonparticipants, and they help the movement gain steam.”
How to Start a Movement (TED Talk): In less than 3 minutes, here’s how to start one compliments of Derek Sivers. Humor + serious wisdom. Be that lone nut or have the courage to follow and show others how to follow.
A CLOSING NOTE FROM WHYNDE KUEHN
This 100th installment brings to a close a 4-year journey with StraightTalk posts. What an amazing adventure we have co-created together! From day one, StraightTalk has been created for you and because of you. I serve you. This incredible business architecture community worldwide has encouraged me with your thoughtful feedback and continued engagement. You’ve inspired me with how you’ve moved knowledge into action, building successful careers and practices within your organizations. Thank you all for being on this journey with me and it has been my greatest honor to accompany you.
You are the true heroes. Lift each other up! Go out and make a difference!
STRAIGHTTALK LIVES ON! – COMING SOON IN SOFTCOVER & EBOOK
While we have officially reached the end of our StraightTalk blog, we are excited to announce a new publication that is coming soon. Drawing inspiration from critical topics discussed in our blog series, Business Architecture Straight Talk (working title) will deliver informed insights and actionable wisdom. This book is not a compilation of StraightTalk posts (that's available in our Archive), but rather the ultimate reference for business architecture practitioners, executive leaders, or anyone interested in diving deeper into the discipline of business architecture.
This new publication will offer clear, concise, and purposeful straight talk perspectives on business architecture topics that everyone wants to know about – all in one place as a handy book or digital eBook. I am personally excited about this new work and eager to get it into the hands of everyone who can benefit. To that end, we are partnering with our publisher and distribution channel partners to spread the word far and wide. Please stay tuned!
Sign up now to be notified when pre-ordering becomes available. When you purchase the book, you'll also get exclusive online access to a companion site that will feature tools, unique graphics, and much more – only available to those who buy this valuable resource.