Business Strategy

I've used a number of strategic planning models over the years. Some models work better than others depending on the type of business the company is in, it’s size, market share, and culture. Mid-sized entrepreneurial companies sometimes struggle to apply these models because they were developed for large companies that have lots of research and data. Some are often too academic, starting with philosophical questions like “ What is your purpose or what do you want to be?” The answer I often get back is “We just want to grow and be more profitable”. 

My approach starts with the question “What could your business look like? What big opportunities for growth should the company consider, and which of these ideas are you most likely to excel at? Often strategy consultants ask these types of questions in offsite sessions with a company’s senior leaders. I go beyond this to gather answers to these questions through a series of internal interviews and employee workshops before leaders meet. This approach results in bigger and better ideas at the beginning of the process, and stronger alignment and execution at the end.  

Then I combine industry data and customer insight to validate the biggest growth opportunities which they are best-positioned to excel. Once the company has aligned around a shortlist of opportunities, I work with them to determine what it will take to succeed. What level of investment and change is required? This evaluation enables the company to align on the best opportunities to ultimately pursue. 

Once strategic opportunities and priorities have been chosen, I work with teams across the organization to develop strategic action plans that specify key tasks and accountability to execute and achieve results.