by Robert W. Bradford, President & CEO Looking over action plans with a client this week, I was struck by a comment one of the team members made. “Some of our action plans” he said, ” have delivered great results, and improvements to our top line and our bottom line…and some have just generated meetings and […]
Continue readingby M. Dana Baldwin, Senior Consultant Good strategic planning should lead a company to growth, increasing profitability and growing market share over time. But what happens when a company refuses or neglects to listen to and understand what is happening in the markets they serve? There are many instances one may cite about companies that […]
Continue readingby Denise Harrison, Executive Vice President & COO Action plans are the detailed road maps that turn your strategic plan into results. Action plans support the key strategic objectives that your team selected as the most important projects to work on for the next 12 to 18 months. If your action plans achieve the objectives, […]
Continue readingBy M. Dana Baldwin, Senior Consultant Once you have completed your strategic planning for the upcoming year, how often should you go back and look at it to determine that the plan is still valid; heading you in the right direction and staying on the course you have chosen? We suggest you revisit your plan […]
Continue readingLeadership is a double-edged sword. On the plus side, leadership in your industry means that every possible competitor will have to play catch-up with any strategic choices you make – you will be defining the game of strategic competition, and this can lead to extremely strong profitability. On the minus side, leadership requires that you […]
Continue readingby Denise Harrison Early in the PC era Apple was clearly a leader in innovation. But in 1996 Apple lost over $800 million dollars. Apple was originally known for breakthrough ideas for personal computers, but others were more profitable and had significantly more market share. What was wrong? What was Apple’s Real Strategic Competency? Yes, […]
Continue readingby M. Dana Baldwin What does it take to be today’s winning competitor? The winner must have a competitive advantage—right? Real winners aren’t satisfied with a competitive advantage that may be just a flash in the pan, they want a sustainable, strategic advantage that will last. We call a sustainable strategic advantage a strategic competency. […]
Continue readingWatching companies respond to massive changes in the current strategic environment, I am struck by how much we tend to overemphasize the present when planning for the future. In strategic planning, it is vital that you do the best job you can to anticipate future trends that will shape the strategic environment of your industry. […]
Continue readingby Denise Harrison, Executive Vice President and COO Strategic Planning Expert In 2000, people were ready to sound the final bell for Xerox Corporation. Financially troubled, mired in shrinking market segments, the future of Xerox was bleak. Xerox had to reposition itself in order to succeed in the 21st century. To do this it had […]
Continue readingby M. Dana Baldwin, Senior Consultant In your strategic analysis of your customers’ buying behavior, have you noticed that most of the time there are three major areas that come into play? First: Brand. The elements of your brand that impact your customers’ buying decisions include: Quality: Do the products we make and/or the services […]
Continue readingAre changes in your industry right now or possible changes in the near future threatening your company? This can be a bad thing – but you might be able to turn the strategic threat into an opportunity, as well. The most strategic threats occur because something in your value stream is undergoing a fundamental change. […]
Continue readingBy Denise Harrison, Executive Vice President and COO The location and severity of any specific natural disaster are difficult to predict – so you need to prepare for a disruption in your supply chain, given that a natural disaster could impact your business at some point in time. Even Toyota, known for its superior management […]
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