by Robert Bradford | Nov 8, 2019 | Strategic Planning
During a few strategic planning meetings in the last couple of years, I’ve noticed something that probably won’t surprise you: I started to get annoyed that we were spending too much time on things that weren’t important. This is one of the most common complaints...
by Robert Bradford | Oct 25, 2019 | Competitive Strategy
Human beings, it turns out, are both good and bad at anticipating the future. We can accurately predict things that flummoxed people 100 years ago – like where a hurricane will make landfall, or the likelihood of a volcanic eruption. We also can foresee the...
by Robert Bradford | Oct 18, 2019 | Strategic Thinking
The eleventh critical skill in strategic thinking is patience – the ability to wait. This is not just waiting to act – it is about waiting to judge and decide an issue. This critical skill is important for three key reasons. 1. Great strategic thinking requires...
by Dana Baldwin | Oct 4, 2019 | Competitive Strategy, Strategic Planning
Strategic Planning should not be a one-and-done business process. As a rule, your organization should conduct annual strategic planning even though it’s time horizon is typically multiple years. Why, you ask? Isn’t a strategic plan valid for more than one year?...
by Robert Bradford | Sep 27, 2019 | Strategic Thinking
The tenth critical skill in strategic thinking is the ability to suspend judgment. Better strategic thinkers should consider ideas and explore possibilities before they impose any evaluation. This does not mean that a strategist never applies judgement. It means that...
by Robert Bradford | Sep 20, 2019 | Strategic Thinking
The ninth critical skill in strategic thinking is honesty. Great strategic thinkers can balance their tremendous creativity with a sense of realism and honesty about what is achievable in the longer term. This ability to balance is not an obstacle to their...
by Robert Bradford | Sep 13, 2019 | Strategic Thinking
The eighth critical skill for great strategic thinking is seeking advice. Great strategists rarely make strategic decisions by themselves. They usually prefer to get input from people who are closer to the issues. They also highly value the input of people who may...
by Dana Baldwin | Sep 6, 2019 | Competitive Strategy
There are almost as many definitions of customer loyalty as there are companies which try to build and sustain the concept. Some of the components are common, however. Let’s take a look at some of them. The first component is dependability. What do many companies mean...
by Robert Bradford | Aug 30, 2019 | Strategic Thinking
The seventh strategic thinking skill may not seem like a skill at all. Taking time to recharge yourself, however, is an absolutely crucial strategic thinking skill. This key item both improves productivity and allows for separate, rich strategic thinking. Taking time...
by Robert Bradford | Aug 23, 2019 | Strategic Thinking
Lifelong learning, the sixth key ability that is crucial to great strategic thinking, is constant. The learning we are talking about here is not limited to your area of expertise or your line of business. Conversely, it extends to learning about anything that may...
by Robert Bradford | Aug 16, 2019 | Strategic Thinking
Strategic awareness is critical to strategic thinking. This includes not just awareness of the immediate situation, but awareness of a wide range of internal and external factors that you can use to guide the future direction of your organization. Three key...
by Robert Bradford | Aug 9, 2019 | Strategic Thinking
The fourth critical skill for strategic thinking is the ability to create adaptive strategies. This includes the ability to design flexibility into your plans by creating an ability to review and adjust your progress on your strategies. Adaptive strategies are...
