Strategic planning is about making a major commitment to your future. Finding the right consultant to guide you is therefore a critical decision. And yet, too often, not enough attention up front results in a painful hiring process at best, and the wrong fit at worst.
A recent meeting participant suggested that short workshops are the only way a group can get meaningful discussion happening. By extension, they perceive that long workshops are simply show-and-tell sessions. May experience says that they’ve been railroaded in the past, and are being misguided today.
Strategic planning isn’t always applied well. Sometimes it doesn’t get applied at all. What are the lessons we can take from Research in Motion? Insights from the recently published book, Losing the Signal.
The idea of strategy execution is getting a lot of play recently. There is a belief that this is a new area of exploration, poorly explored, with very little written about it. This is an idea that is, quite frankly, patently absurd.
Models are important, in that they help us to understand the world and create meaning from fuzziness. At the same time, fuzziness is where opportunities lie. Models can help make meaning, but we shouldn’t demand too much of them.
Our values define us. But many organizations don’t put their value, vision and mission at the forefront of their decision making process. The recent Tim Hortons acquisition by Burger King is a refreshing departure, and one that is inspiring to see.
Few people in the world of business would dare to make the claim that they aren’t strategic. It’s viewed as a necessary capability. But one of the problems with the whole concept of being strategic, unfortunately, is that we’re not entirely sure what it means.
A recent conversation with a senior manager at a large, well-respected organization stopped me in my tracks. Their organization had no clear strategic direction. Not only was there no well defined strategy, but the absence of strategy was a conscious and deliberate choice of the executive team. Which is complete and utter madness.
When organizations face a crisis, the initial response is often pretty reactionary. The organization is already in a defensive mode, and what gets addressed are often short term quick fixes to stem the bleeding. Immediate fixes may create action, but they are unlikely to create the level of change needed for long-term success.
When we are looking for help, we often take a blinkered view, looking for specific boundaries and industry experience. That’s great for an operational role. Strategy development is a different animal. Different criteria can result in an entirely different level of effectiveness.
