The Strategy Off-Site Meeting
It’s ironic that business strategy is designed to clarify a group’s direction, but the meetings to discuss it can often be muddied, disjointed, and result in greater confusion. One study showed that 80 percent of senior executives’ meeting time is spent on issues that account for less than 20 percent of the company’s long-term value. Another survey showed that 88…
Deconstructing Frankenstrategy
As the cool, white fog covers the ground on Halloween, beware the creatures lurking in the shadows of your company’s hallways. Nestled amongst the darkened offices is a single light, perhaps a candlelight, continuing to burn deep into the night. And there in that laboratory of an office, rising from the PowerPoint slides of Hell comes a creature pieced together…
Plan-tober
1. The plan is updated with new insights throughout the year to remain relevant. 2. The plan clearly identifies a limited number of priorities so we have extreme focus and are not spreading our resources too thin. 3. The plan drives my daily activities. 4. The plan is a concise summary of the factors that will make or break the…
Strategic Thinking Can Squash Status Quo-Lock
Is your team living Albert Einstein’s description of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results? Popular adages such as “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” “Don’t rock the boat,” and “Let sleeping dogs lie,” all feed into the natural tendency to prefer the status quo. Time and again, research has proven that when individuals have the option of doing something…
What Might You Be Missing?
In this eight-minute video, I’ll share with you three tips on ensuring that you and your team aren’t missing any key factors that could derail your business success this year. Strategic thinking and strategic planning will go a long way in filling in gaps that could cause your business to miss potential opportunities to grow and create advantage. By building…
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…
Defeating Internal Dysfunction
Many leaders spend countless hours worrying about the competition and reacting to their every move. However, a survey of senior executives showed that their biggest barrier to continued profitable growth is internal dysfunction. In this brief video, I’ll share three techniques for helping your team overcome these challenges using strategic thinking, strategic planning and strategic leadership.
