GPS for Business – the BPS

I have a new blog on the idea of a Business Postioning System you can build yourself, much like a GPS guides our journey in a car, boat or plane.

Read it at http://www.strategyconnect.com.au/blog

Hope you like the idea! Let me know if you think I am off with the fairies on this one (:))

Regards
Derek

Bringing Science to the Art of Strategy

A scientific approach to strategy is a new piece I have just posted.

It summarises work by a group at HBR on becoming more scientific in our approach to developing and executing strategies. It is a great follow up to the last article on strategy in business versus strategy in athletics.

In the article the authors provide seven straight forward steps to follow. If you like some of my other posts then this one will get your mind working for your next strategic session.

go to www.strategyconnect.com.au/blog and see if you agree.

Is there alignment between sporting strategy and business strategy?

I have just written a piece on this analogy for Strategy Connect™.  I hope you like it.  It is at www.strategyconnect.com.au/blog

Let me know your thoughts.

Lead versus Lag Measures

It is important to have both lead and lag measures in your strategy governance model.

I have just posted a short blog on how to develop and use lead measures in addition to lag measures when monitoring your strategy execution.

Read more www.strategyconnect.com.au/blog

And we now have included articles of interest and you can find the index here.

Let me know what you think.

“What Matters Now” a new book by Gary Hamel

Hi

I have just posted a new blog over at Strategy Connect™ on Professor Hamel’s new book “What Matters Now”  www.strategyconnect.com.au/blog , head on over for a few words about this new book and how his thinking on the creative economy and the way to engage with your staff relates to strategy and strategy execution.

(and if you want to get these posts automatically on twitter then follow my SC posts there @dereklark1 (aka Captain Strategy)

Lets talk soon!

Strategy, Jobs and Apples

Head on over to www.strategyconnect.com.au/blog where you will find my latest musings on strategies, strategists and leadership.

The key traits of a strategic thinker

Want to known as a strategic thinker?

See my post here www.strategyconnect.com.au/blog  on what it takes.

Yes you can acquire the skills!

Some men see the way things are and ask why

See my latest post at the Strategy Connect ™ Centre of Excellence.  www.strategyconnect.com.au/blog

Dont ask why, ask why not.

Find me over at the #StrategyConnect Centre of Excellence

My good friend and colleague Kevin Nuttall from Waterfield Consulting has invited me to continue my blog over at the Strategy Connect™ Centre of Excellence site.  Head on over to www.strategyconnect.com.au and click on the Centre of Excellence link in the middle of the lower half of the page and you will find my lastest musings on strategy there.

I don’t think there is much benefit in posting the same thoughts twice, for those of you following on Twitter I will be cross linking the post to both my @groupstrategy and @captainstrategy handles.

As always your comments are eagerly awaited there! Let me know if this doesn’t work for you too!!

Mr or Mrs Fixit – be known as someone who just gets it done #results

There is a lot of noise on the net at the moment about executing strategy.  Well the good people just get on with it.

Are you known as one of these people?  Are you sought out to fix problems, get ideas implemented or restart stalled projects?

If you are then you are gifted.  You know how to marshall the resources afforded to you, set goals and implement actions.

For the rest of us the necessary skills can be learnt.  Importantly you have to have many of these traits, (not an exhaustive list by any means), which with practice can become your natural approach:

• empathy for those who will be most affected
• “paranoia” about the things that might go wrong
• an ability to slice the issue up into bite size pieces
• confidence to take parrallel paths where they exist
• an eye to the future
• a sixth sense for the storms brewing on the horizon
• teamwork, delegation & empowerment
• the power to provide a safe haven for your team from those who would tear them down
• a system for monitoring progress
• a penchant for positive feedback

Get these in place and people will flock to you, those who want you to come and help them and those who want to be part of your winning team.