Stop Boring Strategic Plan Updates

Nov 22, 2022 | Strategic Planning

An association executive director asked during a recent coaching conversation, “Am I doing something wrong, or why are the strategic plan review meetings I hold with my senior staff so boring? My Director of Operations said yesterday, ‘It feels as if all we’re doing is tracking stuff so we can mark it off this master plan.’ You know what? She’s right. That’s exactly what it feels like.” Well I wish I could say I was stunned by his revelation, but I wasn’t. Because, tracking strategic plans...

Create Values That Support Your Culture

Oct 25, 2022 | Strategic Planning

If you’re like most organizations today, you’re struggling to attract, train, develop, promote, and retain great team members. Heck, you’re struggling to find and retain team members - regardless of how great they may be! You’re also dealing with a myriad of supply chain and pricing issues, social and political divisiveness, altered expectations of ‘the workplace’, and much more. All of these pressures make ‘just doing what you do’ a true challenge. So how do you attract, train, develop,...

Starting a Strategic Initiative? Clarify Your Culture First

Jun 21, 2022 | Strategic Planning

Now that you’ve finally hired the additional project team members needed, and you’ve checked, checked, and triple-checked your strategic initiative’s plan and deliverables, it’s time to start your project, right? Wrong. Before you start any strategic initiative, clarify with your team the role the project plays in supporting your organization’s mission, and how each team member fits in. The more clearly every team member (veteran and new) understands how the project and their work –...

Create a Better Work Environment – Redeploy Your Talent

Feb 22, 2022 | Leadership Development, Strategic Planning

I try to notice trends in what my clients are facing. Last week presented a trend I couldn’t help but notice: Three of my clients were tired, frustrated, and struggling to please customers’ shifting and very challenging demands. My clients weren’t happy. Their team members weren’t happy. Their customers weren’t happy. No matter what my clients tried to do to please their challenging customers, it wasn’t enough. My clients’ team members were burning out. Team members were starting to quit - and...

Buying a Business? Don’t Overlook the Soft-Skills

May 18, 2021 | Strategic Planning

Because of the ‘shake-out’ that’s occurred with our economy over the past year, there are more companies than ever looking to sell, and therefore, more opportunities to buy. If you’re like a few of my clients, smart acquisitions are part of your strategic plan. However, as you identify criteria your ideal targeted acquisition candidates need to have (i.e., revenues, margins, location, equipment, staff, etc.), consider two 'soft-skills' items that can make or break a successful post-acquisition...