The End Of Long-Term Planning

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At the end of a particularly long and grueling strategy meeting with the executive team of a major consumer services business, Alan, the chief executive officer, turned to me and said, “Living quarter by quarter is madness, but in a few years’ time people will laugh at us for developing three-year plans.” He was right. With the pace of business change today, driven by technology and globalization, long-term plans last about as long as an ice storm in the desert. As military experts put it, plans rarely survive contact with the enemy.

Despite these new realities, many executive teams remain stuck with 20th-century approaches to strategy development. It is still common for companies to take six months or more to develop their new growth strategies. This prolonged, inefficient and largely ineffective approach — involving colossal data analysis projects, the creation of a series of 100-slide decks, and periodic executive meetings where directors are presented with findings and recommendations to comment on – may suit consultants looking to maximize fees, and even some executives who want to look as if they’re in control, but it does little to help businesses succeed in fast-changing markets.

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About the Author

Stuart CrossStuart Cross helps market-leading businesses such as Walgreens Boots Alliance, Masco Inc. and Aimia Inc. to accelerate growth. His new book, First & Fast: Outpace Your Competitors, Lead Your Markets and Accelerate Growth, is out now. Find out more at www.morgancross.co.uk.

Strategic Plan(ning) for Organizations: Reviewing, Refining, Repeating

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Proper alignment between your values, your vision, and your company is important in steering your company. Making strategy a process rather than a statement is a key to success.

Focus on the process, not the plan

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About the Author

Theo EtzelW. Theodore “Theo” Etzel III is the author of Invest Your Heartbeats Wisely: Practical, Philosophical, and Principled Leadership Concepts for Business and Life. He’s a native Floridian and president and CEO of Conditioned Air which he grew from a $2.7 million operation to a $46 million, 330-person organization.

Standing Out In Business – The Era of the Brand

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Standing out in the marketplace has become increasingly challenging in a world of sensory overload. Because of this challenge, a familiar and trusted brand still has the ability to cut through the clutter. Organizations will need to look deep inside themselves to find those unique characteristics which differentiate them from the competition and leverage these differentiators to become the preferred choice of customers and prospects.

From over two decades of experience, we have identified eight primary factors which contribute to standing out from the competition when it comes to marketing. We’ve distilled what we’ve learned into The 8 Fundamentals we define below. Ideally this information will help you to shine a light on shortcomings or challenges in your marketing strategy and offer suggestions and solutions for you to Stand Out from the competition, Take Off in a direction that’s true to who you are and where you want to be, and, finally, to Stay On Course to reach your goals.

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About the Authors

Lorrie Brignac LeeWinnie Brignac HartWinnie Brignac Hart and Lorrie Brignac Lee of TwinEngine bring 25+ years of marketing experience to leveraging their twin talents to help companies translate traditional marketing channels into forward-thinking solutions. They have built a reputation as inspired, award-winning designers and savvy interpreters of business brand and personality. Their most recent book collaboration, Stand Out: Tools To Master The 8 Fundamentals Of Standing Out In Business, is available on Amazon.com.

For more information visit TwinEngine.com.

Expert Advice For A More Organized Home Office

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There are many small business owners that choose to work from home. The obvious benefit to this is that you save tonnes on office expenses. However, it’s easy for a home office to become disorganized and full of clutter. When your workspace becomes messy, it can lead to a drop in productivity. So, it’s crucial you know how to keep your home office as organized as possible.

Expert Advice For A More Organized Home Office
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Utilize Your Desk

All home offices are going to have a desk for you to work on. If you want your office to be neat and tidy, then you need a desk with storage compartments. If should have some drawers or a little cabinet. The reason you need this is so you can keep lots of items in there and out of sight. Instead of filling up your desk with stationary, it can all be stored in a drawer. Some desks come with a shelf underneath to put a printer too. Again, this helps keep things off your worktop. By getting a great desk, you can use it to make your office completely clutter free. The result is that you have a clean and clear workstation at all times.

Sort Out Your Mail

Businesses tend to generate lots of mail on a daily basis. When you’re trying to work from home, your office can get overloaded with lots of letters, etc. Having so many bits of paper lying around can get distressing and make you very unorganized. To solve this problem you have two potential solutions. Firstly, you can completely get rid of your mail. Sites like physicaladdress.com allow you to get your postal mail delivered elsewhere. Once delivered, it’s scanned and sent to an online mailbox, meaning no loose paper in your office. Of course, this idea isn’t for everyone; some people like to have physical copies of their mail. So, you need to focus on keeping your mail nice and tidy. Sort through it and store important stuff in a mail tray. Anything you don’t need can be shredded. You’ll still have to deal with mail being delivered to you, but your office will be far more organized.

Expert Advice For A More Organized Home Office
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Try And Keep Things Digital

These days, technology is taking over every aspect of our lives. Some people are worried about this, but I think we need to embrace it. One of the best things about modern technology is that it one device can do so much. For example, a tablet can tell you the time, let you make bookings on a calendar and so much more. As a result, you can keep a small home office far more organized if you have one. A tablet will replace a physical calendar, notepads, etc. You’ll have less stuff in your office, which will keep it in place and free from any mess & clutter. If you’re interested in a business tablet, then check out comparative reviews on sites like Laptop.com.

If you want your small business to grow and develop, then you need a comfortable working environment. It’s impossible to achieve this if your home office isn’t organized. Follow this advice and you’ll be on the path to success.

Management Observation Program Best Practice 15 – Selecting an Activity to be Observed

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StrategyDriven Management Observation Program Best Practice ArticleNot all activities impact or potentially impact the organization equally. Consequently, they should not be treated equally when being selected for observation. So what activities should be prioritized for observation?

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About the Author

Nathan Ives, StrategyDriven Principal is a StrategyDriven Principal and Host of the StrategyDriven Podcast. For over twenty years, he has served as trusted advisor to executives and managers at dozens of Fortune 500 and smaller companies in the areas of management effectiveness, organizational development, and process improvement. To read Nathan’s complete biography, click here.