Hidden within the fabric of your organization lies a set of beliefs, behaviours and values that form the basis of your culture. Although values rarely need to be changed, if you are interested in shifting towards a culture where successful execution of your strategic plan...
Stagnation is the enemy of progress and growth but chasing after every opportunity that comes your way can be just as detrimental to your business. I have a name for these myriad choices that appear like opportunities but in most cases are distracters: shiny objects. When...
If you have done a strategic planning session in your organization then you’re familiar with SWOT analysis: uncovering the inherent strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats that form the basis for a situational analysis of where your company is at today both internally and externally. In many...
A few days ago I had the unique experience of being able to run a portion of strategic planning for a client 200 ft in the area above the Peak of Grouse Mountain, suspended in a viewing platform on the Eye of the Wind, wind...
Why do your customers choose you over your competitors? What is it that makes you stand out in your industry? Let’s look at sustainable competitive advantage – understanding what yours is and how it positions your business in the marketplace. “A firm is said to have a...
As you go about your day-to-day business, it’s easy to get caught up in a flurry of activity that doesn’t really mean a thing to your customer. Making the decision to be more “customer-focused” is easy, but making the shift toward a customer-focused approach is another...
Founded by David Norton and Robert Kaplan, The Balanced Scorecard Management System has been heralded as a transformational business tool for the past 20 years. The short version? The Balanced Scorecard management system essentially ties day-to-day activities or short-term actions to long-term strategic objectives. The approach...
[read time: 3 mins] Motivation and inspiration are closely connected to doing meaningful work. For most people, doing meaningful work translates into achieving something either on a personal, local or global level that makes a difference. As business leaders, part of our job is to provide...
This is the time of year when many businesses are deep into strategic planning. It’s the perfect time to talk about the missing piece of the strategy puzzle: execution. The more time you spend focused on strategic planning the more you will start to notice a...
As you start to develop your business strategy for the new year, look at all of the factors that can support it, one of which you might not have linked directly to your strategic initiatives in past years: your company culture. Strategy and culture both affect...