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, […]
Why Good Strategies Die Inside Unhealthy Organizations
Four questions that reveal whether your organization can turn decisions into action From my associate Grant Tate. Over the years, I have sat in many rooms where intelligent, experienced people reached what appeared to be a clear decision. The discussion was thoughtful. The priorities were sensible. Everyone nodded. Someone summarized the next steps, and the […]
The Hard Choices That Make Strategy Real
Most strategic planning processes begin with a familiar question: What is important to us over the next several years? It is a useful question, but it is insufficient. Organizations can usually identify many things that matter. Growth matters. Customers matter. Talent matters. Technology matters. Operational efficiency matters. Leadership development matters. New markets may matter. So […]
The Human Wiring of Strategy: How Minds and Businesses Achieve Bold Growth
From my associate Janice Giannini. Where Strategy Meets Human Wiring Every fall, executives gather in boardrooms to build their strategic plans. Using pretty charts and spreadsheets to support the lofty goals. Yet, year after year, many of these plans quietly dissolve into missed milestones and unrealized potential. Why? Because strategy doesn’t fail in the abstract—it […]
Business Growth: Why the Gap?
From my associate, Janice Giannini. This month, we focus on business development, the engine of sustainable growth. External factors such as market shifts, economic conditions, and intense competitive pressures play a crucial role; many of the most significant obstacles to effective business development are within a company’s control. However, these internal challenges often receive less […]