Monitoring the Process If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll probably wind up somewhere else. Even with a clear implementation plan it’s possible to lose track of whether you are accomplishing your goal. For example, imagine the challenge faced by the engineers of the American transcontinental railroad. The strategic vision was that coast to […]
Continue readingIn developing our strategic plan, we spend significant time analyzing our market segments and our competition. There are other important factors which can affect our strategies, even our ability to continue in business as usual. Most organizations will have most or all of these factors. However, there will be some which are not present or […]
Continue readingPlan the Dive, Dive the Plan The mantra of scuba divers describes one of the most important guidelines for conducting a safe and successful diving trip. In spite of the enjoyment that comes from observing the exotic reef life of some Caribbean island, every dive is potentially a life and death situation. Therefore, it is […]
Continue readingStrategic management: a sports analogy Imagine you are the head coach of a professional football team. You have just sent your captains onto the field to observe the coin toss for the Superbowl. Furthermore, imagine that you and the team had been enjoying talking to reporters, relaxing around the pool and late nights. After […]
Continue readingA differentiation strategy builds dominance in your market. One of the fun things about working with so many different companies is the perspective you gain on different industries. Often times, however, an industry is highly fragmented with no clear dominant player or no clear dominant specialty player. This is worth closer examination, since a strategic […]
Continue readingSuccessful strategic management involves three steps: Planning, Execution and Monitoring Developments & Progress. With strategic management, actions speak louder than words. Even effective strategic planning that yields the appropriate decisions can come up short on delivering performance improvements. Strategic Management is a more powerful means of optimizing the long-term performance of an organization. The last […]
Continue readingSilo mentality causes conflict in an organization. Recently, a CEO approached me to discuss strategic planning. He knew, that to be a success, he was going to have to get rid of the silo mentality and get the team moving in the same direction. What is organizational silo mentality? When people refer to a silo […]
Continue readingOrganizations, large or small, are in continual need of strategic transformation. Control Your Destiny or Someone Else Will makes a major contribution to this management practice. This stems from Noel Tichy’s involvement in General Electric at all levels through much of Jack Welch’s revolution. This book is really three books in one It is first a vibrant […]
Continue readingSuccession planning for key personnel is an important part of good strategy. Succession planning becomes even more important when the person involved is an owner. Previously we have written about succession planning and the things an organization should do to assure continuity. Don’t wait too long to involve people in succession planning. When a key […]
Continue readingIn this post, we are discussing how buy-in helps align employees with strategy. Buy-in is one of the key steps in strategic alignment. Lets review how we get strategic alignment. There are five basic steps that you must take to assure your employees are aligned with your company’s strategies. First, employees must have the conceptual tools […]
Continue readingFocusing on a single strategic competency can be scary. There are two big reasons for this. The first is the basic struggle with focus – we often feel unsafe putting all of our eggs in one basket. The idea that two competencies will double your chances of success is a false one, though. Two competencies […]
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In this post, we are discussing how organizational structure helps align employees with strategy. Organizational structure is one of the key steps in strategic alignment. Lets review how we get strategic alignment. There are five basic steps that you must take to assure your employees are aligned with your company’s strategies. First, employees must have […]
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