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Is your organization suffering from silo fever?

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...

Use the 80-20 Rule to Get Your Strategic Plans Executed

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...

Are we getting any better at executing strategic plans?

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...

Are we there yet? And by the way, where is there, exactly?

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.)

Give your Strategic Plan a Healthy Dose of CLARITY

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.

Is Strategic Planning a Waste of Time and Money??

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’re in PROFIT Magazine!

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...

The Do-It-Yourselfers’ Dilemma

  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...

The #1 Blockage to Strategy Execution….By Far!

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...

When is a Strength Not a Strength?

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...

How to Win the War on WOBBLE

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...

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