Karl Edwards presents Working Matters

Tag: Strategic Planning

  • Listen In -> Posture of Strategic Readiness with Van Wray #5: The Anticipated Decisions

    Of the universities to which your child is granted admittance, he or she will have to decide one to attend. It’s an important decision, and it cannot be avoided.

    Except that your child is currently twelve years old.

    It is not yet time to make that particular decision.

    Yet it would be a mistake to ignore or avoid the investigative and preparatory work involved in helping your child make the best decision possible when the time comes.

    In this week’s podcast discussion with Van Wray of Amperant Advisors, we look at how to best approach these certain but distant decision points in our businesses.

    Certain decision are coming.

    We know they are on the way, but we don’t have enough information to make the decision yet. We cannot afford, though, to ignore, forget about, or minimize their importance in the mean time. What do we do?

    Listen in.

    Just now joining the conversation? Catch up on the entire series here.

  • Listen In -> Posture of Strategic Readiness with Van Wray #4: The Built-In Slack

    For those of you who believe in cracking the whip in order to make sure everyone is working as hard as they can every minute that they can, stop reading here. You won’t appreciate this week’s podcast episode.

    In fact, those who keep all their other resources tied up and busy should probably read elsewhere also.

    The reason is simple. In this week’s podcast discussion Van Wray of Amperant Advisors and I take a look at the importance of building some slack into our plans.

    You read it correctly. Slack. Intentionally.

    Not all opportunities or problems can be anticipated.

    What if an unexpected opportunity came along, and we couldn’t respond because all our resources were already committed?

    What about the work stoppage at one of your key suppliers? Now you’re off plan before you’ve even begun.

    Unless, that is, you’ve built slack into your strategic plans.

    How does one plan for the unexpected? How can we plan around what we cannot control?

    Listen in.

    Just now joining the conversation? Catch up on the entire series here.

  • Listen In -> Posture of Strategic Readiness with Van Wray #3: The Sumo Wrestling Goals

    The sumo wrestler is not one of sport’s more attractive images.

    But today it is the perfect image.

    When considering meaningful sports analogies for strategic planning, we usually lean toward the agile and light of foot. Relay races, basketball teams, and even sedentary chess come to mind.

    We lean toward these images because they illustrate the aggressive, fast-paced, and/or savvy thinking that we want to characterize our planning efforts.

    For some issues, though, our goal may be to NOT go backwards.

    Have you considered that?

    In this week’s podcast discussion with special guest Van Wray of Amperant Advisors, we discuss the importance of being intentional about those areas where we don’t want to lose ground.

    Intentional to the point of articulating it an explicit goal.

    For what area of expertise, market penetration, financial position, etc. would it be an aggressive and vital goal NOT to go backwards?

    Wondering how to identify what sumo wrestling goals should be a part of your strategic planning?

    Listen in.

    Just now joining the conversation? Catch up on the entire series here.

  • Listen In -> Posture of Strategic Readiness with Van Wray #2: The Stop and No Lists

    Stationery stores are packed with a myriad of clever and cute to-do lists for purchase. Some have check boxes to mark off as each task gets completed. Some have prioritizing systems to help you rank today’s duties in order of importance.

    But have you ever seen a not to-do list?

    Strategic plans are jam-packed with the meat and potatoes of what you will be doing over the next several years.

    But have you ever seen a plan that delineated what you would stop doing this year?

    In this week’s podcast discussion with special guest Van Wray of Amperant Advisors we confront the reality that all ideas are not good ideas.

    In other words, the good ideas from yesterday may not be the good ideas we need for tomorrow. Which means there will come a time when we need to stop.

    Stop certain programs. Stop certain lines of action. Stop offering certain products. Stop certain practices.

    Hence the intentionality of thoughtfully developing a “Stop-list” and/or a “No-list.”

    Have you thought about what you need to stop doing or what you need to say “No” to?

    Listen in.

    Just now joining the conversation? Catch up on the entire series here.

  • Listen In -> Posture of Strategic Readiness with Van Wray #1: The Adjusting Process

    From the way many leaders approach strategic planning, you’d think they owned crystal balls.

    They seem to have confidence that the future is going to be exactly as they expect and make huge decisions and long-term commitments accordingly.

    Not so! argues our special guest, Van Wray of Amperant Advisors who joins us for a new podcast discussion series entitled “Posture of Strategic Readiness.”

    Wray asserts that strategic planning needs a serious rethink, and, over the next five weeks, will be resourcing us with the tools to do just that.

    The metaphor of physical posture is striking and powerful.

    I think of the tennis player poised on the balls of their feet ready both to execute their own strategy as well as react to whatever comes at them.

    If what comes at them is not what they expected, then they are ready to adjust… immediately (because they are prepared), instinctively (because they are trained), and, yes, strategically (because they never relinquish leadership of the game).

    In this week’s discussion Van and I confront the reality that the future is not nearly as clear cut as we’d like to think. The many unknowns that lie ahead, though, need not worry or stop us from making aggressive plans.

    We simply need to make a different sort of plans. Plans that have enough room in them to welcome the future. Plans that have enough flexibility in them to adjust along the way.

    You are going to want to meet Van Wray. He is an insightful, practical, and encouraging leader, coach, and ally.

    Join us over the next five weeks for what will be a transforming discussion.

    Posture of Strategic Readiness
    Week #1: The Adjusting Process
    Week #2: The Stop and No Lists
    Week #3: The Sumo Wrestling Goals
    Week #4: The Built-In Slack
    Week #5: The Anticipated Decisions 

    Listen in.

  • Listen In -> Strategic Planning #3: Learning From The Past

    Assess. Adjust. Assess. Adjust. Assess. Adjust.

    In this week’s podcast conversation, we find ourselves hungry to benefit from our past decisions. Instead of a black and white, right or wrong, success or failure, credit or blame mindset, we adopt a stance of attentiveness and action.

    Crucial to effective strategic planning is the capacity to learn from the past.

    We pay attention to what is and is not working and adjust continually. In smaller, more frequent increments, it is easier to learn, change course, recover from mistakes, seize new opportunities, etc.

    But only if the past is a source of rich learning. It’s the difference between knowing more and knowing better, capacity versus capability, facts or wisdom.

    Listen in.

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  • Controlling or Cruising?

    Toward which extreme would your planning approach tend? Controlling or cruising?

    Do you try to control more than may be possible, humanly speaking? Stick to tight schedules even if it means working nights and weekends. Keep everyone on task even if it means writing standard operating procedures for sharpening pencils. Coordinate activities across departments even if it means nagging people several times a day.

    Or have you given up on planning? Circumstances change too quickly on the ground for any plan to stand a chance of being implemented. Technology will change, a competitor will undercut your break even price, a key supplier will go out of business, an important team member will go on maternity leave at a crucial juncture. So you cruise. Go with the flow. Use your intuition. Shoot from the hip. Respond to issues as they arise.

    (If you haven’t listened to this week’s podcast, take ten minutes now as Claudia and I take on strategic planning as the second segment of our coaching regimen No Excuses Leadership.)

    As you’ve probably guessed, both sets of skills are crucial for successful strategic planning. They each address a stark reality leaders face. They each fail when adopted exclusively and universally. There is a vital proactive, aggressive, intentional component to planning. There is also a vital reactive, responsive, perceptive, discerning component.

    Where do you fall on the controlling versus cruising spectrum? What have you learned from veering too closely to either extreme?

  • Listen In -> Strategic Planning #2: Shaping the Future

    In these fast changing times, is planning worth the effort? Won’t the world be completely different before we get very far along toward our long range goals?

    In this week’s podcast conversation, Claudia and I look at strategic planning as a tension between control and change. No we don’t have the control leaders used to enjoy when the pace of change was slower. But neither are we at the whim of the forces around us.

    We’re excited because the opportunity to show up and make a difference is huge. Are you excited about your planning efforts?

    Listen in.

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