Strategy & Execution Planning

Really, you probably do. What is strategic planning anyway, and what do you expect to get out of it? Chances are, you have some form of annual planning happening already, whether as Finance update, a budget, operational reviews or presentations from the business leaders to senior executives or the board. Functional units may have their own roadmaps and project lists for the year. You might have standing management reviews with business and functional teams. If so, you already have many of the right pieces in place. 

1. Results - are you achieving them as fast as you'd like?

   • Are there opportunities in the market that you think you're missing out on? 

   • Are you feeling unconfident that the business will be where you want it to be when you want it to be there?

   • Are you worried about answering for lackluster financial performance?

   • Do you think you could be more innovative and competitive? 

2. Cohesion - are your teams working as well together as they need to be, or are factions holding you back?

   • Do you have a truly comprehensive and cohesive picture of the business, not just a loose collection of parts?

   • Are objectives and goals clear?

   • Do people feel like they're on the same team? Or is there too much finger-pointing, denial, defending the status quo, saying one thing and doing another? Do they seem happy to keep it that way to avoid accountability?

   • Do sales teams and supporting functions work well together?

3. Management systems - do you feel like you have the right governance and tools in place to drive results?

• Are people looking at the right data (leading and lagging) and at the right frequency?

• Do progress reviews seem disjointed across functional leaders?

• Do you have business units or locations that operate, manage and report too differently? Would it be helpful to have a common framework?

• Is there ownership for outcomes and are you able to hold people accountable? Or ar silos getting in the way?

Do you think bringing in an outside resource would be help you make faster, more assured progress toward value capture, but you're still feeling reluctant? Some potential reasons and possible misconceptions:

• Pride. Bringing in help isn't a sign of weakness. It's quite the opposite. 

• Budget. Worried about the optics of spend or that it won't be worth it? Getting more out of strategy doesn't have to cost a lot or involve a team of outside consultants. A 'disinterested' third party with the right approach can make a big impact whose value well exceeds the spend.

• Fear of undermining teams. It's natural for people to feel threatened and reluctant to work with an outsider. Naysayers quickly become believers when they have a little help, and see the results of painting a holistic picture of the business and feel better about the future.

• Fear of conflict. Having the difficult conversations feels risky and uncomfortable. Once you've worked through the issues, you come out better for it.

• Aversion to the stereotypical consulting model. You don't want a big team of outsiders going off in the corner, crunching a bunch of data, coming up with what they think is the answer, trying to convince you and your people to do what they say, and hire them to do it. Far better to bring your leaders together to make decisions and plans that they can stand by.

• Something else?

• Pick a business unit that would benefit. Perhaps one that has massive opportunity if they could only work better together. Perhaps one that has been recently integrated through M&A.

• See what it feels like to …

  • have a comprehensive view of the business.

  • have clear accountabilities.

  • have key leaders feel ownership and pride for strategies and plans - like they've put their stamp on it.

• Take it from there.

Consider this a strategic framework. You can change the order, add or subtract components, dive deeper in some areas than others. We will always tailor the approach to your industry - especially your financial measures, operational KPIs, elements of the value chain and functions supporting the business. Ultimately, we want to make sure you have a clear picture of where you are, where you want to be, and how you're going to get there.