Fall is the time many people think about creating a strategic plan or reviewing the one they have in place. Here are the top 5 mistakes commonly made. Forewarned is forearmed! 1. The facts: A plan can only be as good as the input that goes into it. Since planning requires corraling the future, by …
Recently I have come across two very intersting lists—the top 10 growth industries and the 10 fastest declining industries. Being in a growth industry is usually a good thing! You get tail winds. Being in a declining industry–well your challenge is to avoid being the buggy whip. Most of us are somewhere in the middle …
It is that time of year again. In Kansas City, the week of my birthday (9/7) is also the week of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus. I can remember years where my children and I “celebrated” my birthday at the circus, watching amazing feats and smelling the elephants (the elephants are amazingly large as is …
Many of you know that while I help companies do strategic planning, I really don’t like to use the term, “strategic planning”. Seems odd, doesn’t it? The reason is that far too many people are in the strategic planning business and, in my humble opinion, it is confused with meeting facilitation. Let me explain. It helps …
I once heard someone say that the sign of a great leader isn’t what they accomplish when in charge, but the legacy that they leave when they are not. Given that definition, Ronald Reagan and Abraham Lincoln go down as great leaders–not for how much they were appreciated in office but the positive stamp they …
What products and services have revolutionalized your life? In my lifetime, there have been many. Wonder how they came about? It required asking the right questions and really listening for the answer. In today’s pressured economic environment it is really tempting to ask, “How can we cut back?”, “How can we do this for less money/time?”. …
Basketball is known for the double-double, even the triple-double—scoring double digit points while achieving double digit assists or rebounds. Not an easy feat and it takes a well rounded player. Well, from here on out, I want to encourage YOU to achieve a double-double in business. Double revenue in half the time. Impossible you say? …
When we talk about companies we admire, most of them have good strategies. Their strategies have worked for years, as they are focused, clear, and consistent. What changes is how they deliver on them. Southwest Airlines: The Low Fare–yes, today their ticket prices may be higher in some markets but don’t forget to throw in …
When working with clients one of the first things we do is go through a discovery process. You might think clients already know everything about their business but the truth is, most companies only look at the data in one way–the way they always have. By introducing new ways to analyze the data and integrate …
Over the course of my blogging career, I have enjoyed coining some unique language to describe some of the concepts and practices of successful strategic leaders as well as terms that describe common mistakes. Here is a dictionary of sorts. If the words or phrases intrigue you, please click on them to read more. Each is connected to …
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