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Strategy Development

Our Strategic Commitment® approach to strategy development is fundamentally different than traditional strategic planning exercises because:

1. It starts with the premise that most — if not all — of the information and intelligence needed to craft a meaningful strategy is already resident and accessible within the organization. We believe that getting the right people in the room, exploring and answering the right questions in the right type of open, honest, courageous and effective environment will produce a strategy that is as good, if not better, than the best money can buy elsewhere.
2. Most organizations root their strategic planning processes in the past, developing next year's strategic plan by extrapolating from this year's. This past-based thinking inherently limits aspirations to today's and yesterday's constraints. Our approach is future-based. It enables organizations to shape their future rather than merely deduce it from inflation-adjusted calculations. It allows for the collective boldness and ambition that inspires people to go beyond what they previously considered possible.
3. Any strategy is only as good as people's relationship with it. The most accurate, valid and well-crafted strategies will fail if people do not feel ownership and accountability for them. On the other hand, an adequate strategy is much more likely to succeed when people truly feel a sense of ownership and commitment toward it. Our approach marries the crafting of strategy with the generation of commitment to its fulfillment. People leave this process with a visceral connection to the strategy; in many ways, they "become" it, and relate to it fully as their own.

We approach strategy development in two phases: The "What" and then the "How." In a past-based approach the "What" is derived from the "How." Basically, this means that people commit to outcomes they already know they can achieve based on past performance. In a future-based approach, the "What" determines the "How." This means people first put a plausible stake in the ground, and then invent the means to achieve it based on what is needed.

The "What" includes the Strategic Vision and Strategic Promises, and the "How" includes the Strategic Initiatives and Action Plans (see chart).

 

Culture Audit | Strategy Development | Leadership Team Development |
Executive Coaching | Total Organization Alignment & Engagement