How to Run a Strategy Review Meeting

So in my last post about getting out of the trenches, I promised to give examples of how to run a strategy review meeting and an operational meeting. Since the strategy review is a little long, I’ll post that today and next week we can look at operational meetings.
Running a Strategy Review
Again, the key to […]

How to Break The Law that Keeps your Business Stuck in the Trenches

There’s a reason why, no matter how much we try to focus on the big picture of our companies, somehow again and again we find ourselves stuck in the trenches. Executives and department heads begin the year with great expectations; they research and they plan and communicate strategy throughout the company, but some how during […]

Dilbert Again - This Time on External Analysis

Another Dilbert comic- I know! It does bring up a few great considerations for strategic planning.
When you’re in the process of building your plan, don’t just skip right to churning out objectives and responsibilities- nothing can replace a thorough analysis of your external and internal environments. Sure, you want to be seen as a man […]

How Much Time Does Your Company Spend in the Gym?

If your company could put on some track clothes and step on a scale, would it look fit and healthy, or frail and flabby? If a company has been taking care of itself it shows with healthy bones and muscles. If not- well, it’s always a great time to hit the GYM.
Healthy Bones
Your company’s strategic […]

Dilbert on Strategic Planning: Don’t Just Plan- Execute!

This recent Dilbert strip about Strategic Planning, while hilarious, is pretty scary.
I love the quote, “while we were strategizing, they were doing something I believe they call ‘work’.” Not just because I’m a huge fan of air-quotes, but because that’s a really common feeling among employees who take part in strategic planning. A common thread […]

There’s Still Time Left to Plan

In these last weeks of the Holiday season, it’s easy to get behind at work. You’ve got family in from out of town, you’ve been buying presents, cooking huge meals, going to movies and catching up with old friends- most years it’s all you can do to just make it through this busy period.
Sure, we […]

The Best of the Best Do It

Year after year, strategic planning is continually the #1 preferred
management tool* and is used by companies worldwide with very high
satisfaction rates. Succeeding without a plan is possible, but if
you’re someone who has achieved a level of success without a plan, ask
yourself this question: Could you have grown and become even more
successful if you’d organized […]

Running scenario planning

Last time in this space we started discussing scenario planning by
talking about preparing for the "big what ifs" or the driving forces
that generally exhibit as 1) social dynamics, 2) economic issues, 3)
political issues, or 4) technological issues. These are the cases that
tend to push your thinking and are usually classified as the big
unknowns.

But
there are […]

Thinking about the ripple effect

We’ve all seen and heard the unsettling headlines pointing to a
business slow down in the news - "Home Foreclosures Skyrocket;"
"Housing Market Continues Slump;" "Disappearing Sales Tax Revenue;" and
"Credit-market Contagion From US Subprime Crisis Affects Global
Economy."
It
is human nature to ignore the bad news rather than pay attention to it.
Whether you think you are immune to […]

How to Facilitate a Strategy Meeting

According to a past Fortune
cover story, 86% of business owners and managers spend less than one hour per
month discussing strategy. Not
surprisingly, this same article also reported that nine out of ten
organizations fail to implement their strategic plan. As you’ve probably
noticed from our previous columns, we’re big proponents of regular strategy
meetings. Quarterly and, in particular, monthly […]