Strategy

Culture, Leadership, Organizational Identity, Strategy

Dog Eat Dog and Tree Huggers: Why the Wrong Environments Can’t Create Good Strategy

The environment in which we design strategy matters more than leaders often realize. The leadership culture, and the wider business culture, dictate the nature of strategy, and its chances of success. In this article, I introduce you to the Culture Continuum, and I describe why good business strategy can only be cultivated in a people-centric […]

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Learning & Development, Strategic Thinking, Strategy

5 Habits of Strategic Thinkers to Boost Your Influence

Strategic thinking is a key skill for leaders and executives. Almost every job ad out there lists it as a requirement. Here are 5 key habits of strategic thinkers to help you get your head around the question: what is strategic thinking? 1. Practise Purposeful Networking Strategic thinking involves curiosity and learning from others. I

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Executive Leadership, Learning & Development, Strategy

Two Must-Have Resources To Design More Impactful Strategy

Two approaches have proven particularly effective to start aligning leadership teams at the beginning of a strategy and identity process: Combining a 360-degree feedback and a team assessment. These tools address individual leadership challenges and create transparency about a team’s level of functionality. Functional team consisting of conscious leaders will dare to create strategy beyond

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Culture, Executive Leadership, Leadership, Strategy

The Essence of Executive Leadership: Nailing Business Strategy and Culture

What’s the job of an executive leader? So many thoughts come to mind. But in a nutshell it comes down two two things: they’ve got to define the choices to win in a company’s chosen marketplace (that’s business strategy) and make sure everyone’s vibing on the same frequency (that’s company culture). Crafting a Business Strategy

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Leadership, News, Strategy

100 Dynamic Leaders Award: Facilitating Strategies that Impact Businesses

This feature of Alex Brueckmann is part of Exeleon Magazine’s listing of The 100 Most Dynamic Leaders of 2023. Check out the entire issue and listing by clicking on this link. Brief us about your journey. What prompted you to shift from music to management studies and business strategy? Following 9/11, I had lost my job

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Leadership, Performance, Strategy

What Wayne Gretzky Teaches Executives About Strategy

Wayne Gretzky, often hailed as the greatest hockey player of all time, holds a legacy that transcends the rink. Beyond his exceptional skills on the ice, Gretzky’s mindset and approach to the game offer valuable insights that resonate far beyond the realm of sports. His strategies, adaptability, and leadership qualities can be applied to various

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Emotions, Leadership, Strategy

Overcoming Doubts: 7 Challenges Leaders Face with Business Strategy

Leadership demands not only vision but the confidence to act on that vision. Yet, many leaders find themselves wrestling with doubt, which can hinder their ability to make strategic decisions. Doubt is a natural part of leadership, and it’s how you manage and conquer it that defines your ability to steer your business toward a

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Customer Experience, Strategy

6 Essential Ingredients for Exceptional Customer Experiences

Exceptional customer experiences are the bedrock of small and big businesses looking to stand out in the market. These experiences transcend mere transactions and create lasting connections with customers. To understand what makes these experiences exceptional, I share six success factors using inspiring examples from real businesses. 1. Empathy and Understanding Zappos is renowned for

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Performance, Strategy, Vision

Designing a Business Strategy – Between Foresight and Signalling

A business strategy typically addresses a mid-term time horizon of three to five years. Businesses should also explore what lies before and beyond this timeframe. To complement their strategy (mid-term), organizations need foresight (long-term) and signalling (short-term). Signalling addresses the immediate future, and foresight explores what’s beyond the planning horizon of the current business strategy. Identifying

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Leadership, Learning & Development, Strategy

Building People Skills Is No Longer Enough

Executive Summary: The dangers of neglecting strategic skills in leadership development Leadership development programs have long been mainly about so-called soft skills. Participants learned how to communicate more smoothly, delegate better, or manage conflict in their teams. Programs taught coaching skills for leaders and explored emotional intelligence. The main promise of human resources (HR) functions

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Leadership, Performance, Strategy

From $1mn to $100mn: The Top 5 Barriers That High-Growth Companies Need to Overcome

Scaling a high-growth startup from $1million to a lofty 100 million is a monumental achievement. The path to such exponential growth is riddled with numerous barriers that founders and leadership teams must navigate, from market fit and scalability to leadership skills, strategic focus, and beyond. Here’s how to overcome the top 5 barriers that stand

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Culture, Leadership, Strategy

Nurturing Success: The Dynamic Dance Between Strategy and Culture

In the wild world of business, catchphrases run rampant, sparking debates and raising eyebrows. One such catchphrase that tends to get a reaction out of me is “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Now, hold on a second! Let’s dig deeper into why this phrase makes me cringe and explore the fascinating relationship between strategy and

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Organizational Identity, Purpose, Strategy

Moving Beyond Purpose: Aligning Strategy and Impact for Meaningful Change

Purpose has become a popular buzzword in many organizations, with companies proudly proclaiming their commitment to noble causes. However, merely having a purpose is not enough to create real change. Purpose refers to an organization’s intent or reason for existing beyond profit. Impact is the effect an organization has on its stakeholders and the world.

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Leadership, Performance, Strategy

What So Many Get Wrong About Business Strategy – And How To Fix It

Business strategy is a widely misunderstood concept – which is terrifying given that it is also one of the most important aspects of any successful company. No wonder so many business large and small fail each year. As a decision-making framework, strategy clarifies the key priorities and sets a direction for the organization. Unfortunately, many

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Performance, Planning, Strategy

Boost Your Chances for Success: The Benefits of Establishing a Strategy and Enterprise PMO

A few reasons stand out when we analyze why organizations fail to design and implement business strategy, from unaligned leadership to management systems that don’t support change. There is one reason for success – or failure – that I have witnessed both as a strategy manager for a large business, and as a management consultant

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Leadership, Learning & Development, Strategy

5 Tips to Ensure Your Leadership Development Efforts Support Business Strategy

The amount of money businesses waste on poorly designed leadership development is staggering. Too often, it is only when business realize that there is no tangible impact from these training programs that they re-think their approaches. Let me share some advice based on over a decade of experience in designing strategically aligned leadership programs that

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Leadership, Planning, Strategy

Business Strategy vs. Strategic Planning: Why Confusing Them Can Lead to Disaster

Preparing a meal and then eating it are two different activities. Both are needed to avoid going hungry. If you prepare dinner and then don’t enjoy the meal, you’ll still be hungry. Likewise, you cannot have a nice meal without someone preparing it. When it comes to business strategy and strategic planning, we are essentially

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