 |
Our blog offers a chance to open a dialog between MSP and our visitors. Please feel free to ask questions here, post comments and contribute your ideas!
In yesterday’s Strategy Check Newsletter, titled Cut Costs Now by Renegotiating with Suppliers and Vendors, we examined the opportunities for cost-cutting that exist in our enviornements due to the economic downturn. Right now, many businesses are turning to renegotiating the terms of their contracts with vendors and suppliers in order to save their organizations money and secure their long-term viability.
But, (read more…)
Topics: Cutting Costs, Economic Downturn, Long-Term Relationships, Negotiations | Comments (0)
We’ve had to get used to a lot of changes during the current economic crisis. Employees have come to understand that jobs aren’t secure, benefits are becoming thinner, and retirement is becoming a myth. Companies are also having to cope with tougher competition, lack of credit and limited resources. What’s been making the news lately have been the many bankruptcies (read more…)
Topics: Economic Downturn, Recession | Comments (1)
Has the recession impacted your decision-making?
One great resource we found lately was Kim Girard’s excellent article titled How to Decide in a Time of Confusion, at Bnet.com.
MyStrategicPlan has been named a Finalist in the category New Product or Service of the Year in The 2009 American Business Awards! More than 2,600 entries from companies of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted for consideration in more than 40 categories, including Most Innovative Company, Best Management Team, Best New Product or Service, Best Corporate Social (read more…)
Topics: American Business Awards, MyStrategicPlan Updates, Strategic Planning Software | Comments (0)
With Google’s recent announcement that they developed an algorithm for sniffing out dissatisfied employees, there’s been a significant amount of speculation around how the company plans to use it, or even whether it’s the best approach.
Since yesterday’s WSJ article announcing the algorithm explained the what, but not the how, it may not have been the best approach for the company. (read more…)
Topics: Employee Engagement, Employee Retention, Google | Comments (0)
Here at MyStrategicPlan we’ve been scheming & planning something awesome: a comprehensive course on strategic planning that’ll take any business person from novice to skilled strategist, through practical, tested methods, tools, tips and how-tos. If you’ve spent any time wandering through our articles, glossary, videos or the rest of our resources, then you have a grasp of the wealth of knowledge (read more…)
A recent BusinessWeek article from Harvard University’s Bill Taylor piqued my interest this week. It’s an issue that’s made it’s way through the business press as well as business blogs and elsewhere for some time now- are MBA’s really worth it? Mr. Taylor, cofounder of FastCompany and recent Author of Mavericks at Work, seems to be baiting the same argument with (read more…)
Here’s a recap of some of the strategy-focused blog posts we found interesting this week:
Most everyone is familiar with the 4 P’s of Markting, Product, Place, Positioning and Price- but have you heard of the 4 E’s of Marketing?
Christopher Graves, President & CEO, Asia Pacific, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, authored a presentation found on Scrib’d that explains just how the P’s have become the E’s, highlighting how:
Semantics aside, we can all agree that priorities are, well, to be prioritized right? Whatever you call your organization’s most important objectives or tasks or whosawhatsits, everyone needs to know what their priorities are.
Our glossary currently defines priorities as “objectives or tasks that have been determined to be essential to meeting a company’s strategic direction and or time-sensitive.” So, then priorities should (read more…)
Topics: 43 Folders, GTD, Merlin Mann, Objectives, Priorities, Tasks | Comments (0)
As we’ve been watching the stimulus money start making it’s way from Washington to the various corporate and governmental entities who will directly receive it, I’ve heard from people across all industries who shake it off and say “well, that’s for someone else- it won’t be helping my business.”
This is false thinking.
It doesn’t take much creativity to see where nearly (read more…)
Topics: Federal, stimulus, stimulus money, Stimulus Package | Comments (0)
One thing that I keep running up against when talking to business people lately is a sense of fear. It’s not necessarily an irrational fear- there’s a lot to be concerned about- but it’s also not grounded in a complete sense of reality.
What I mean is that 2009 has been a wake up call, no doubt. We’ve all been affected (read more…)
Want a big pile of stuff from Amazon.com? We’ve been given an other nomination- and you have a chance to win a one thousand dollar gift card!
Back in December, MyStrategicPlan was honored with a Stevie Award for Best New Product of the Year. The Stevies, awarded by The International Business Awards, serve to “honor and generate public recognition of the achievements (read more…)
Topics: Awards, International Business Awards, Shameless Self-Promotion, Stevies, Vote | Comments (0)
Scanning for Strategic Planning articles on the web, I came across a recent article from mckinseyquarterly.com, titled Strategic planning: Three tips for 2009. The article is written mainly to strategists, so our consultants reading this blog should definitely check it out, but the information in it is relevant to anyone in business. The basic gist of it is that times (read more…)
Topics: Economic Downturn, Recession Planning, Strategic Planning Process, Strategy on a Shoestring | Comments (0)
Wow. Lots of money is barreling our of Washington as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. So much so, that all kinds of governmental entities are hurriedly positioning themselves to distribute and track the funds, and even teach organizations how to ask for it.
And why? Because the government doesn’t pump billions of stimulus money into the (read more…)
Topics: Federal, grants, stimulus, stimulus money, Stimulus Package | Comments (0)
In response to requests from MSP customers and other companies that we are close to, we have unveiled a new product. Many companies as well as hopeful start-ups are currently scrambling to compete for money that is being distributed by the US government as part of the recently passed stimulus act.
One obstacle that many organizations have run into is that (read more…)
Topics: Federal, Governement, grants, MyStrategicPlan Updates, Special Discounts, Stimulus Package | Comments (0)
The money from the stimulus bill has started to flow. How many green companies and startups are poised to benefit from it?
In an article titled Green-tech pros gird for stimulus jolt, CNET author Martin LaMonica reported that stimulus money has begun making its way to companies specializing in sustainable technology, as part of a last-resort type of government funding meant (read more…)
Topics: Develop a Strategic Plan, grants, green, stimulus, stimulus money, tech | Comments (1)
Are you worried about losing your best employees and having to deal with all the costs of replacing them and then training new employees during a recession? You may not be able to give everyone raises, or fund a huge company picnic, but there’s tons of things you can do to increase company morale that don’t cost a dime.
As a (read more…)
Topics: Economic Downturn, Employee Engagement, Employee Recognition, Employee Satisfaction, Performance Management, Strategy on a Shoestring | Comments (0)
These are tough times, no doubt. Companies in pretty much every industry have had to make hard decisions in the face of shrinking sales. If you’re having to do more with less people, you’re not alone.
BUT, this is no time to forget morale- in fact it’s the best time to step it up.
It’s easy to get caught up in the (read more…)
Topics: Economic Downturn, Employee Engagement, Employee Satisfaction, Performance Management, Recession, recognition | Comments (0)
Next Steps: | |
| Call us at 775.747.7407 | |
| Sign up for a webinar | |
 All plans are risk-free for 10 days. | |