Strategy
Most growth businesses do not have a strategy problem so much as a strategic clarity problem. Everyone is busy, but not everyone is busy on the few things that will move the company forward this quarter and this year. Strategy, done well, is the discipline of deciding what you will not do, writing the rest down on a single page, and then checking against it every ninety days.
This section collects our articles on building and keeping a strategy that the whole leadership team can see, understand and act on. They draw on the Scaling Up and Rockefeller Habits methodologies that we have used with hundreds of companies, but they are written for leaders of UK scale-ups rather than for strategists.
Running the planning process. Why have a strategic planning meeting? is the place to start if your planning days have become status updates. It explains what a good session produces and who needs to be in the room. How to focus on growth initiatives tackles the problem that follows: protecting time for the projects that matter once the plan is agreed.
The one page strategic plan. The one page strategic plan is the tool at the centre of our work. It puts core values, purpose, long-term targets, annual goals and quarterly priorities on one sheet so that nobody in the business can be unclear about what matters. If you have never seen one, read that first.
Long-term vision. A ten to twenty-five year goal is what gives the quarterly plan its direction. The pitfalls to avoid when developing your BHAG covers the common mistakes, and game-changing BHAGs that drive strategy and team alignment shows what a good one looks like in practice.
Measuring what matters. Strategy without numbers is a wish. Harnessing the power of KPIs and OKRs explains how the two frameworks differ, when to use each, and how to keep the scorecard short enough that people actually look at it.
Strategy under pressure. Navigating business cycles and the common mistakes leaders make when developing a business strategy are useful reads when conditions change faster than the plan.
Thinking strategically as a team. Strategy is not the MD's job alone. How to get everyone in your company thinking strategically and from planning to strategy look at how to spread that thinking through the business, while how scenario planning drives growth in uncertain times offers a practical way to prepare for more than one future.
Browse the latest articles below, or move across to our leadership, team and implementation sections. When you are ready to put a strategy in place with your own leadership team, our facilitated scale-up workshops and intensive VIP days are built around exactly this process.
170 articles, page 5 of 8
Pitfalls you must avoid….
While there’s plenty of discussion about what leading MDs do to make their companies so profitable, innovative, and successful, what about the things they’re not doing?
Staying Focused on a Great Strategy
Strategy is an overused and often misunderstood word.
How marketing has changed…..
At the recent Growth Summit I attended in Amsterdam, Verne Harnish spoke about how marketing is changing and it being the greatest barrier to growth currently for ‘gazelle’ organisations.
The key to lasting behavioural change
One of the biggest challenges I come across are clients who are unable to make to the necessary personal changes to achieve success.
How to stay de-stressed throughout the day….
In John Murphy’s recent book, Zentrepreneur: Get Out of the Way and Lead, he argues that letting go of stress that makes us less effective and productive isn’t easy, but like a muscle, it can be developed and mastered.
How high growth companies are delivering sales growth……
With the economic outlook looking positive many companies I am meeting are once again focusing on sales.
What does your brand stand for?
‘Brand’, as a word, is derived from the Old Norse brandr meaning “to burn.” It refers to the practice of manufacturers burning their mark (or brand) onto their products (often animals) to signify ownership.
Getting Things Done Faster
If you want to get fit, gain a qualification, or learn a new skill, no matter what the thing is that you’re trying to accomplish, it takes more time than we’d like to get it done.
Creating Sustainable Success……
Sadly, too many businesses subscribe to the simple theory which says that whenever there is a problem, “Grow!” The wisdom seems to be that growth is the answer, regardless of the question.
10 Tips to Make You More Productive in 2014
Last year one of the key challenges clients faced was time management and productivity, which makes this the perfect topic for my initial blog of 2014.
How to Achieve Amazing Results….
One thing I have learned about human nature is that all other things being equal, we would rather have what we want sooner rather than later, easier rather than harder and more rather than less.
4 Great Strategy Questions from IBM
Warren Buffett has amassed $10 billion of IBM stock with their market cap four times that of HP and being the second best performing stock this past decade.
Working Excessive Hours does Not Mean High Growth
Recently I have come across more and more companies that judge their employees’ work by the time they spend at the office.
How to Focus on Growth Initiatives…..
As a director or senior manager of a company, part of your role must be to define and implement new growth initiatives.
How to successfully launch your strategy…..
Once the leadership team has developed its strategy, it then must be launched to all the team. Here are 3 components which will assist with a successful launch:
Ideas to achieve and sustain high growth
Useful stuff, right? See, developing a high growth business is easier than most people think.
Creating a Great Customer Experience
Competitive markets mean that it’s not just the quality of your product that matters. A great experience can create loyal customers, while negative experiences can ruin your brand’s reputation both on and offline.
Developing the Power of Certainty
Almost everyone I meet would like to be, act or feel more confident. How about you? What areas of your life would immediately improve if you became more assertive, more confident, CERTAIN.
Surviving and Thriving in a Relationship with a High Growth Entrepreneur
Brad Feld, the famous venture capitalist and co-founder of the TechStar movement has recently written a book entitled Startup Life: Surviving and Thriving in a Relationship with an Entrepreneur.
10 Timeless Strategy Questions…
Business strategy did not really become a formal focus until 1960.
Secrets of Staying Stress Free….
As you pursue your high growth ambitions, there are times when undoubtably you will feel stressed. If you are starting to feel that way then follow these simple stress busting ideas:
A Key Question to Ask Whilst Developing your Strategy
As I work with high growth companies to develop their leading edge strategies one question I always ask is:
Secrets to Growing a High Growth Recruitment Company
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A Different Perspective on Goal Setting….
It is strange how New Year’s has taken on a special significance for most of us, as if a calendar or certain date has more meaning or somehow is better suited for some things than any other date.