Cautionary Tales

How To Hire A Strategic Planning Consultant

26 January 2016 by in Cautionary Tales

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.

Research in Motion: Strategy and the Art of Stumbling Along

13 July 2015 by in Cautionary Tales

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.

Absolute Madness: Choosing Not To Have A Strategy. Because Change.

16 May 2014 by in Cautionary Tales

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.

Strategy First, Services Second

9 May 2014 by in Cautionary Tales

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.