Strategy, Not Shelfware
Strategy is not an ivory tower exercise. It’s also not magic.
Without a solid strategy, the organization cannot succeed because nobody knows where it is going or how they can help it get there. Without a plan to implement that strategy, nobody will be accountable for its success and nothing will happen. In fact, many people will be actively or passively working against the strategy, because they don’t see the point in disrupting the status quo that seems to be working well enough to deliver a paycheck.
Small or Large, Your Business Needs a Strategy
Corporate Strategy Building
Corporations need strategies to guide their forward progress, but all too often that effort is wasted on politically-correct platitudes, or a fancy document that just gathers dust. A good strategy can be assembled quickly and put to work immediately. You’ll get all your moving parts on the same page with the same priorities. When something isn’t working, it is found and fixed, or the funds and people can be put to better use.
We’ve helped dozens of such entities, large and small, decide where they want to go and the major paths that must be taken to get there.
There is a process for doing this rapidly and ensuring that it does generate results. We can help you through it without it turning into a consultancy’s retirement plan.
Small Business Strategic Options
You’re never too small to have a strategy; it just doesn’t have to be an elaborate monument. You need a strategy to explain to your team (even if it’s only you) what the business is really trying to achieve, so they can do it when you aren’t looking. That helps you achieve the number one strategy every owner should be considering: how to make the business owner-independent. That’s what makes it valuable and that’s what allows you to take a break now and then.
Corporate Strategies
There is a well-known study by McKinsey suggesting that two-thirds of all corporate strategic initiatives fail. There is a violent debate on the research (or lack of any research) behind that claim but the sad thing is that even the most vehement detractors don’t argue that these failures are only rare occurrence; the debate is whether the number might be as low as 45%. That’s still a very high failure rate for a company’s most important objectives and most significant investments.
Vision and strategy are not mystical incantations. The strategic planning process and tools that we use have been proven in thousands of organizations. SWOT analysis, PEST analysis, Lean or Agile portfolio strategies, program design, IT strategies, government acquisition planning and so many more buzzwords. Most of all, providing executive leadership with clarity so they can lead the way. (What we can’t do is provide them with the courage to do so; that’s on you).
Options for Small Business Owners
Small businesses also have to deal with the possibilities, good and bad, that may emerge in the future. But the fundamental strategy of a business owner is to manage the business in such a way that they can achieve their real goals – whatever those might be.
Then, at some point, because the owner is a real person, they will have to step away from the business, and it needs to be ready for that to happen in a way that achieves the goals.
Every year at least, you’ll face these four fundamental choices. They may change over time. We’re here to help you think through what you really want and how to go about making that happen.
Just remember, you’re a human, not a piece of paper representing many owners. Anything could happen at any time. Whatever the right strategy is for you, get started now, because Someday could arrive tomorrow.
What's different about working with us?
Whichever path is right for you, we don’t just leave you with a fancy strategic plan document, suitable for display on a coffee-table. We help you to gain a general consensus on the viability of the plan and to manage the interaction of the various participants while leaving them free to execute using their expertise. We make sure that you follow up your plan with defined objectives, allocated resources, and responsible parties.
And you can probably knock at least one zero off what you would pay a major consultancy.
To learn more about our approach, and determine whether your situation is one that we can help with: