Seeing the Picture in the Dots: Strategy in the Age of AI
From my associate Grant Tate. How artificial intelligence can strengthen analysis, expand strategic imagination, and return leaders to the work only humans can do. When I was Director of Planning and Technical Services for an international company, my team was responsible for strategic planning for eleven manufacturing plants on four continents and in ten countries. […]
Strategic Planning When the Background Is No Longer Background
From my associate Janice Giannini. Strategic planning needs to avoid treating unstable conditions as stable assumptions, especially when the external environment is rapidly changing. Business leaders do not control: Geopolitical conflict, while supply-chain and market-access assumptions remain critical. Interest rates, as capital costs and investment timing are essential. National debt, although tax policy, inflation pressure, […]
Rethinking Strategy: Making Strategic Planning a Living Process
From my associate Dan Elliott. If the past half decade has taught us anything, it is that the pace of change and disruption is accelerating. From the introduction of artificial intelligence to global tariffs, from demographic shifts to political shifts, business leaders are navigating an environment where yesterday’s assumptions no longer hold true. In this […]
A.I. Just Blew Up My Strategic Plan
From my associate, Grant Tate. A.I. can write a strategic plan for a small organization in fifteen minutes; provided, of course, one has all the data required and knows how to construct the prompts for the A.I. interface. But will it be a good plan? Probably better than many small business plans, the thousands, if […]
Evolving Leadership: Guiding Your Team Through Growth
Editor’s Note: Growing a business requires not only robust, scalable systems but also leadership that adapts as well. In the third article of this series, we delve into how leadership roles must evolve as the organization grows. We’ll discuss the shift from hands-on management to strategic oversight and the importance of fostering a culture that […]
Navigating the Road to Success: Strategic and Operating Plans Explained
In the world of business management, the secret to a company’s ongoing success often lies in adequately assessing vulnerabilities and careful planning. This planning usually splits into two crucial paths: the strategic and operating plans. Understanding these distinctions, differentiating between these plans, and using them effectively is vital when leading an organization. Cracking the Code: […]
Don’t Be Afraid of Strategic Planning
From my associate Janice Giannini. Emotions drive most peoples’ actions; we don’t like admitting that. We want to believe that reason and logic drive our business decisions. And in some cases, that is true. There is one case where that needs to be on point. That case is the “job” of strategic planning. Why does […]
Strategist or Process Manager?
From my associate Grant Tate. There are two kinds of people working in strategic planning: Those who look at a picture in a newspaper and see nothing but a collection of dots. Those are the business analysts. Then there are those who look at a pile of dots and see pictures. Call them strategists. We […]
Transitioning From an Entrepreneurship to a Professionally Managed Firm Part III
Editor’s Note:This is the second installment of an ongoing series surrounding what it takes to move from a relatively small, micro-business to a more robust, larger organization. Each article explores a different aspect of that journey. In the previous issues, I discussed the initial phases of transitioning from a business in its infancy to becoming […]
Strategic Planning or Strategic Thinking?
“There is only one strategy, Tate.” “What’s that, Bob?” “Keep your options open,” replied my big boss, the VP of Manufacturing. I had just finished presenting our division’s 5-year strategic plan and our 2-year operating plan, both containing revenue projections, costs, human resources, and risks. My team had worked for months exploring every opportunity and […]