Unlike the aimless ‘Sunday drive’ where the journey is the benefit, the success of organization travel is typically defined by achieving a stated goal. The plan or the journey is not the goal. While the journey may provide enjoyment and growth...

Unstoppable. It’s what opposing coaches said of Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers of the ‘60s, the iconic football club from small-town Wisconsin.  Over a seven-year time span, the Packers out-executed team after team, one rich franchise after another, en route...

Earlier this year Harvard Business Review published results of a large-scale study of 8,000 managers from 250 organizations on the topic of why strategy execution unravels.  The data were a big surprise to many, especially related to the managers’ confidence – or lack...

In the late 19th century Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto made a startling observation:  he found that 80 per cent of the country’s land was owned by only 20 per cent of the population.  Upon further reflection, he also observed that 80 per cent of the peas in his...

I’ve been wondering about that ever since I read the groundbreaking June 2008 Harvard Business Review report, “The Secrets to Successful Strategy.”  That study revealed that a full 60 per cent of organizations assessed themselves as ‘poor’ at turning plans into...

I recently facilitated a strategic planning session involving three teams tasked with the job of creating a project plan. While two of the teams huddled and debated, the third tackled the exercise with confidence and focus, finishing a full 45 minutes ahead of the others. (It then, in the spirit of competitiveness, proceeded to rib the other teams about their tortoise-like progress.)

Let’s face it: many strategic plans are a collection of lengthy, meaningless and often-grandiose statements about mission and vision.  Some can be uncomfortable to read aloud; others can be downright cringe-worthy.  Indeed, some organizations spend precious time creating BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) – also known as elaborate declarations of hope – instead of clear, direction-setting statements.  Not surprisingly, metrics of success are unlikely to be found in these types of plans, and confusion about where the organization is really going abounds.

The answer to the question depends on who is being asked. The results of a major study of 1000 companies, government agencies and not-for-profits in over 50 countries,  reported in Harvard Business, were rather shocking……well at least to some.  Employees at 60% of those companies rated their organizations as weak when it came to turning strategic intent into results. You are not alone!  When they were asked if they agreed with the following statement “Important strategic and operational decisions are quickly translated into action”, the majority said no.  You are not alone. 25% of those surveyed came from the executive ranks, traditionally the architects of the plans! Are you one of them?

We just published an article in PROFIT Magazine (a Rogers publication), entitled "Why Companies Crash"; subtitled (I guess you could call it that - more of a story lead, I should say) "The Great Paradox of Management is that Growth today can inhibit More Growth...

  A colleague of mine had a recent conversation with a new client. This client had, for several years, facilitated the annual operational planning process with his (fairly small) organization. Although he was generally fairly happy with the outcome, he often felt...

There are many blockages that leaders run into when it comes to Strategy Execution.  What is yours? 1 Everyone does not have a good idea of the decisions and actions for which they are accountable 2 Important information about the competitive environment does not get...

It is common, pretty early in the strategic planning process, to consider the relative strengths and weaknesses of the organization.  Most often, this is done as part of a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) review.  Many of us, it seems, have...

Wobble is the enemy. You’ll recognize it by the way it makes your organization miss goals and objectives – despite the best strategic plan you’ve ever put to paper. It’s the kind of wobble that wears away at efficiencies and effectiveness – like the wearing of poorly...