How to Practice Strategy Skills
How do you develop strategy? More important, how do you get better at developing strategy? Strategic thinking and planning skills don’t magically appear when you get promoted. They need to be practiced and honed just like any other skill. Research shows the #1 cause of business failure is bad strategy. Not being strategic is no longer an option. The good…
The Same is Not Strategic
How often do you find your company doing the same things in the same ways as your competitors? Many managers are trapped in this loop of operational effectiveness: doing the same activities in the same tactical ways as others. A study of 200 companies found that 93 percent of the top 20 percent of performers have a strong form of…
Strategic Thinking Can Kill Bad Meetings
A company’s annual conference, whether it be for marketing, sales, or a new product launch, is an amazing opportunity to create real dialogue on key business issues across the organization. Unfortunately, the majority of these meetings are 80 percent presentation and 20 percent conversation. The dog and pony show meetings have to go. While it may seem like a good…
Strategic Thinking for Executive Management Teams
“One-third to one-half of new chief executives fail within their first 18 months.” —Harvard Business Review A popular mantra today is “fail fast and fail often.” If you follow this practice as a senior leader, research shows you will soon be an unemployed senior leader. As Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey said, “What’s the worst advice you see or hear given…
