Outsmart Your Competitors: Build a Resilient, Efficient, and Sustainable Path Forward
Every year, leaders across industries sit down with their executive teams to set goals, outline initiatives, and discuss where they want the organization to go next. Many of them are seasoned, capable, and hardworking. Yet despite their experience, most unintentionally plan themselves into turbulence—because they skip the process step that matters most: understanding their vulnerabilities […]
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 […]
Strategic Coaching for Sustained Growth: Doing the Right Job, Right Way, and Right Now
From my associate, Janice Giannini. Close your eyes for a moment and create a picture of your company where 70% of the leaders are resilient and empowered to be adaptable and innovative. Then, create a picture of the competitive advantage the entire organization creates by working in this way. Is that a place you would […]
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 […]
Your Business Execution Checklist
From my associate Howard Litwak. A successful organization is one where all the parts are working together (are in alignment). These organizations are innovative, customer responsive, and prevent fires – they’re not spending their time putting out fires. The Star Model provides a model for alignment. Organizations of all sizes that have taken the time […]
Fix the Toaster
Do you want to fix the toaster, or do you keep scraping the burnt part off the toast? It seems like a simple question, but hear me out. In business and life, we get what we accept. If so, why would we continue to accept an unacceptable outcome rather than address the core problem? These […]
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 […]
National Security – A Strategic and Operational Risk
With the accelerating changes in technology, cyber-security, and geopolitical tensions, the question arises are US company Boards addressing National Security as a significant risk? Or perhaps the better question would be: how do Boards need to address the impact and opportunity of the interdependence/intersection of technology, cyber-sec, and geopolitics comprehensively? We have lived in an […]
How Do You Know If You Are On The Right Track Strategically?
From my associate Janice Giannini. When technology and societal priorities are rapidly changing, the conversation frequently arises “is our strategy relevant and successful?” There isn’t a standard quiz that can give you a grade of A, B, C, or F to answer that question. Instead, there are several lenses to view the effectiveness and relevance […]