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Consulting Proposals - Five Steps to 100% Acceptance For Larger Assignments
How would you feel when the next time you sit down to write your management consulting proposal that you KNOW for sure it is going to be accepted? My guess is you are going to feel pretty good. As a bonus "feel good moment" how might you feel if you know you are going to be receiving higher fees! Probably even better! How do you do this on your next proposal? Let's talk about it.

Why You Should Not Hire a Management Consulting Firm...at least not yet.

There are many strategic management consulting companies in the United States and around the world. For organizations that are looking for strategic consulting help in their business, there are so many options available to them that making a decision on the right consulting firm becomes daunting. Even with all of the available expertise, many companies never seek the outside help. Maybe that is the best for all concerned. Bringing in outside consulting help is not for everyone. When consulting companies come in to help with strategy or to solve complex business challenges, it is often an exercise that forces executives to check their egos at the door and confront their own organization’s issues and baggage. Not all companies are up for that. Are you ready?

Great Consultants are Never "In Between Jobs": Consulting, Outsource, Part-Time Management and Non-Profit Associations are 4 Distinctively Different Solutions… When and Where to Deploy Each

With a wealth of auxiliary talent options available to company business plans, employers too often miss the mark in deploying the optimal schemata. In any organization, flexible utilization of experts can create cost savings while simultaneously adding new problem solving opportunities. Statistically, the most common related employer mistakes are either stagnation or selecting the wrong remedy. The four primary categories for flexible talent utilization are each unique. These are consultants, outsource firms, part-time managers and non-profit memberships, and in their uniqueness, these are not to be deployed interchangeably. The following analysis is a blueprint to determining where to plug and play each option.

Is strategic planning for small businesses, or only the “Fortune-ate”?
We often find that small business leaders are intimidated by management consulting firms and others who offer strategy planning services. Whether they believe it’s too expensive or that they’re too small to benefit, or simply that they lack the time and energy to focus on strategy planning, it is certain that companies of all sizes can benefit from a structured strategy planning process.

The Change Management Process: Accomplishing Change and Making it Stick

There are times when an organization must go through serious transformation. By this we mean the type of game-changing metamorphosis that requires corporate leaders to devise a new vision which must then be adopted by staff members and ultimately put into action. Transformational change is only possible with a legitimate sense of urgency and effective change management that is orchestrated with a change management strategy. This article, based on the Method Frameworks Plan4SM process and adapted from John Kotter’s 8-step change model and book on change management best practices, “Leading Change” (Harvard Business School Press, 1996), examines methods for managing corporate change and accomplishing successful outcomes.

Baton Leadership Lessons From LA Philharmonic Conductor Dudamel
Maestro Gustavo Dudamel is a much loved orchestra conductor who has some outstanding leadership skills to share. Learn how his philosophy of "love the music and the musicians who play it!" can apply to your industry.

Thoughtleading Is PR and PR is Thoughtleading
Thought-leadership is an integral part of PR, and vice versa.

The 2011 Strategic Planning Checklist: Evaluate Your Strategic Planning Process and Strategy Effectiveness

One of our most popular articles last year dealt with a simple checklist for evaluating strategic planning process effectiveness. Having ushered in the new year and a fresh decade, we decided it would be a worthwhile exercise to revisit the list and analysis done last year and submit an updated, more fitting set of evaluation criteria for 2011. There are new criteria added in this year’s evaluation, and many that have carried over from last year but have enhanced analysis.

The “Not So Dirty” Five-letter Word: The Use of Power In Change Management

It turns out that power, when applied appropriately, is exactly what it takes to promote action and make transformation happen. But it needs to be the right type of power. In this article on change management, we review the types of power available to organizations, referred to as "Power Centers" and discuss how to best leverage them. Potential change agents tend to possess power, but some “power types” are better than others when it comes to selecting change agents.

Strategic Planning - Business Executive Essentials - Part 1 of 12

Business executives are always wanting to improve their company's performance by laying out a better business plan and strategy. Many ask the question “where can I find a decent business plan template for the new year?” * Have you given much consideration to the possibility that your strategic and operational plans may be far less effective than they could be? - Do you know what your strategic plan should accomplish? - How would you begin to measure the effectiveness of your current strategic planning process? - Does your own planning process consistently define meaningful goals that get achieved as expected when the plan is followed? This article is part one of a series that describes the components of a comprehensive business strategic plan and provides a checklist for evaluating strategic planning process effectiven

Strategic Planning - Business Executive Essentials - Part 2 of 12

In part one of this article series, we acknowledged the ongoing quest of business executives wanting to improve their company's performance by laying out a better business plan and strategy. We began the journey by examining the benefits strategic planning brings to business organizations, then explored a number of common factors that can get in the way of a strategy ever coming to life when it is time to execute. In this article segment, we will delve into the elements of a successful strategic plan.

Corporate Strategy and the Elephant in the Room

Recession weary executives have a new challenge to face. Times have changed and businesses must re-evaluate their pre-recession strategies. The elephant in the room is in full view, but organizational leaders do not like to talk about it or even think about it. Yes, the elephant in the room, that no one likes to address, is outdated strategy and the need for new and improved strategic thinking. Making change to the way we have operated in the past in difficult. A starting point for change is to correct the self-inflicted organizational dysfunction that occurs during strategy development.

Strategic Planning - Business Executive Essentials - Part 3 of 12
The previous edition of this article series (part 2) went into an overview of what a strategic plan should address - at a minimum. In that same edition, a graphical depiction of the elements of strategic planning was introduced. In this edition of the series, we will begin walking through the layers of the graphical model, relating to the “business ecosystem”.

Strategic Planning - Business Executive Essentials - Part 4 of 12

Last week’s post (part 3 of this article series) began going into the layers of the strategic planning model in the context of of the business ecosystem analysis. This model was introduced two articles ago and depicted as a graphical representation of the key elements of strategic planning. In this week’s edition of the strategic planning series, we will continue walking through the layers of the graphical model relating to the “business ecosystem”.

Strategic Planning - Business Executive Essentials - Part 5 of 12

The article series began with recognition of the ongoing quest business executives endure trying to improve their company's performance by laying out a better business plan and strategy. This segment is part five of an series that describes the components of a comprehensive business strategic plan and provides a checklist for evaluating strategic planning process effectiveness. Last week’s post (part 4 of this article series) began a continued exploration of the layers of the strategic planning model ecosystem analysis. This model (shown again below for your convenience) was introduced several weeks ago and depicts a graphical representation of the key elements of strategic planning. In this week’s edition, we will continue examining those layers of the graphical model relating to the “business ecosystem”.

Strategic Planning - Business Executive Essentials - Part 6 of 12

The article series was prompted by the ongoing quest business executives endure trying to improve their company's performance by laying out a better business plan and strategy. Over the past five weeks, we have been exploring the critical components to good strategic planning. In last week’s article, we left off on the sub-topics of change management and communication. Change management and communication sub-strategies are far too often underestimated in terms of their importance and impact to strategy implementation.   We continue the series this week with more discussion on those topics.

Strategic Planning - Business Executive Essentials - Part 7 of 12

In this week’s edition, part 7 of this 12 part article series on corporate strategic planning, we will continue the discussion on planning, but examine some other key attributes for consideration. As we all know, corporate strategies will never be perfect or foolproof, but you may not realize how much they can be systematically improved through process changes. Our corporate strategies are what determines the directional flow of our business, such as markets to be entered or exited, products to be enhanced through innovation programs and acquisitions that will solidify competitive price advantage through supply-chain integration. As such, it must be holistic in interpreting and leveraging our business enterprise to be truly effective. That leads us to the next topic to discuss - factors that can help or, in some cases, impede execution

Besting Your Plan’s Performance: The Time To Start 2012 Strategic Planning is Now

Corporate plan management is a day-to-day and week-by-week activity. The long-held belief that strategic plans are addressed once a year serves to obfuscate the ever-green nature of what plans really represent. They require a switch in our mindset away from treating strategic planning as if it were a project. Instead, it is an ongoing journey that requires us to recheck our position against the map frequently to avoid getting lost.

Strategic Planning - Business Executive Essentials - Part 8 of 12

The spectrum of corporate strategic planning models and processes is broad, and the term has taken on many different connotations over recent decades. For organizations that are new to formal strategic planning, it can seem like a daunting task. It certainly does not have to be, and this article series is intended to help chief executives get on the right path to better corporate planning. Just compiling goals and timelines into a spreadsheet that gets sent along with a meaningless report in a binder doesn’t cut it. That becomes worthless data to all involved in the organization and will not accomplish the results strategic planning should accomplish. There is no “magic binder” of spreadsheets and PowerPoints that can perform miracles when it comes to strategy and the execution thereof.

Taking Risks on Both Sides of the Bridge Leads to a Goldmine of Possibilities
Great achievement requires risk

Strategic Planning - Business Executive Essentials - Part 9 of 12
How do you assess your process for strategic planning and know if it is on track or as optimized as it might be? The analysis this week, and over the next three segments article series, should help you to objectively evaluate your planning process and identify potential issues and risks that may exist in your organization's current planning world. How would you answer these questions?

Strategic Planning - Business Executive Essentials - Part 10 of 12

In last week’s article, we covered the first two questions related to planning effectiveness. In the continuation of analysis this week, and over the final two segments of this article series, we will cover others. These questions are intended to help you to objectively evaluate your planning process and identify potential issues and risks that may exist in your organization’s current planning world. How would you answer the following?

Complexity: The Execution Challenge You Don't See

Complexity lies in every aspect of strategic planning and it is a concept that needs to be clearly understood in order to anticipate and overcome execution challenges. We live in a highly complex world and - for the most part - we cannot comprehend the intricate concepts needed for strategic planning. With outside management consulting, companies often see that it is easier to understand the complex architecture of cause and effect.

Strategic Planning - Business Executive Essentials - Part 11 of 12
In last week’s article, and in the prior week’s edition, we covered questions related to planning effectiveness. In the continuation of analysis this week, we will cover others. How would you answer the following questions about your own corporate strategic planning process?

Strategic Planning - Business Executive Essentials - Part 12 of 12
This week’s article is the final segment of this 12-part series. We will cover a few final questions to help you self-evaluate your own organization’s strategic planning effectiveness. If you are behind on reading previous segments, just skip to the bottom of this one and you can access any of the previous installments. So let us continue. How would you answer the following?

Buildling Buzz For Your Business
Buildling "buzz" is an excellent way to market your business. This article pinpoints the art of buzz building.

Can We Trust Our People To Execute?
Our entire executive team is usually very involved in the creation of the strategic plan, so they most likely “get it”. Presumably, they are vested. But what about the levels below the execs?

Strategy, Business Decisions and Saber-toothed Tigers
In business, all to often, decisions are made based on emotion and not on critical evaluation. Call it “being decisive” or call it having a talent for being able to act fast; because you have trust your instincts. Regardless, it can be reckless and costly in business. So how should we make strategically sound decisions?

The opportunities are here - what are you doing with them?
What are you doing with the opportunities that comes across you path in life? Are you grabbing them or just letting them fly on by? Too many times we are so busy with the day to day, with what we think we need to be doing, with the unimportant. So busy that we miss the greatest opportunities of our lives.

Selecting A Management Consulting Firm
Our success hinges on the inherit understanding that every organization is unique in some way and must be approached with solutions tailored to their distinctive needs and designed to achieve their desired business key outcomes.

Does This Business Strategy Make Me Look Fat?
“Innovate or die.” A widely-accepted rule of business states that if a company fails to continuously innovate it will fall behind and eventually die. From this, common wisdom says that organizations must gear their business strategy toward continually increasing customer value.

To Improve Your Corporate Strategic Planning Efforts, Take Clues from NBA Coaches
It’s playoff season in the NBA so there’s no better time for an analogy between NBA coaching and corporate strategic planning. Reflecting on the season and the final games, it begs the question; what if NBA teams were run like many businesses are?

The M&A Market Is Hot, But The Results Are Not - How Strategic Planning Can Help

2010 saw the first worldwide annual gain in merger and acquisition deal-making since the financial crisis, according to the New York Times’ DealBook, and 2011 was called the “year of M&A” by Forbes. With all the attention on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) of late, there’s a good chance your organization has been faced with the prospects of attempting or at least considering one for itself. If so, read on.

Why Should I Trust You As My Leader?

It happens all the time. We “require” the employees of our organization to blindly trust in the changes we implement, although we haven’t fully explained the transformation and the reasons behind it. Quite often the change and the reasons behind it might seem quite obvious to those who have the inside information and are part of the management inner circle. To employees outside of the circle, however, the change causes impact, discomfort and anxiety. As executives of our organization, should we expect compliance and blind trust, or is the responsibility on our shoulders to communicate and lead?

Are We There Yet?
Successful business executive’s possess a vision for their organization’s developmental journey. They are tuned into the business strategy and know what milestones they expect to see; holding predictions related to how long each should likely take to be reached. But what if the top executive’s vision for the journey was more widely disseminated and fully understood?

10 Operational Planning Steps That 85% of Corporations Wish They Knew
Data suggests that most organizations would certainly benefit from adopting a more formalized approach to strategic planning and that many companies have routinely failed to successfully and fully implement their strategic goals due to poor operational planning. What can be done to correct the problem?

Bringing Passion Back to Corporate Planning

Many well-meaning managers and leaders assume that because members of the organization are “active” that they are also “effective.” In reality, activity does not equal effectiveness; and it’s not representative of indispensability. To accomplish strategic goals, energy must be focused on productive activity related to the accomplishment of sub-tasks that lead to the ultimate realization of strategic outcomes as well as those business essential tasks that are part of the employee’s job description. That takes dedication, commitment and drive.

Can We Remove Risk From Our Strategy?
If you could, wouldn’t you choose to test your organization’s strategy before gambling your business and your career on the assumption that the strategy is right? This article contains a short list of tactics to help remove some of the risk from your strategy.

Organizational Development: Examining Business Wellness Ahead of Problems Occurring

Businesses, like other living organisms, can get sick. The afflictions come in a variety of forms, affecting culture, core values, productivity, profitability and sometimes business viability. Sometimes the ailment is more or less the equivalent of having a cold, and sometimes it is much more dangerous and threatening. The symptoms that you notice may not get you too worried, but those you are not aware of should.

Corporate Culture: Pressing The Reset Button

It is well accepted among organizational theorists that companies with strong cultures outperform those without such ingredients. Organizational culture usually starts with the style of leadership adopted from founders or senior executives of the organization. Clearly, culture is a critical component to the organization that, if not properly understood, can dramatically impact the success of the business.

Breaking Out Of The Box

Human behavior and organizational behavior have at least two major points in common. Both gravitate towards traveling in the same well-worn paths, favoring the feeling of safety that repetition brings over the feelings of anxiety and fear that often accompany change. A second point of commonality is that both humans and organizations can be steered in the wrong direction by subscribing too heavily into “groupthink” (described by psychologist Irving Janis as, “a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members' strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action.”). Both behaviors can lead to flawed logic and / or incorrect underlying assumptions becoming institutionalized into our way of thinking.

Would Your Strategic Planning Process Survive Reality TV?

If your strategic planning process was put in front of a panel of experts, would it be ridiculed and sent home, or would it be given a ticket straight to Hollywood? If it’s like the more than 85% of strategic plans that fail to deliver the intended results, its chances are not great. It takes a very good process to result in a strategic plan that is realistic and can be executed. Too many plans end up full of content that is cerebral and fluff, adding little or no value to the organization. So before you send it into the limelight, ask yourself these questions to objectively evaluate your planning process and identify potential issues and risks that may exist in your organization's current planning world. Considering these questions now can avoid potentially devastating results later.

Five Ways Strategic Planning Builds Capacity And Capability

By September 2011, Borders Books will close their doors forever. The company will liquidate all of its assets and deliver pink slips to approximately 11,000 employees. Meanwhile, as a result of smarter strategies that recognized and accounted for changing dynamics in their marketplace, competitors like Barnes & Noble have fared much better. How can two such similar book store giants end up on such divergent paths? Examination of the downfall of Borders Books reveals strategic errors that arguably led to its demise. Such is often the result of ill-conceived strategies that failed to zig when the market zagged.

Plan Governance: Without it, you have a bag of strategy & a box of plans
Strategic plans without follow-through will collect dust and never be executed as intended. Plan governance is the essential “follow-through ingredient” to set the wheels in motion for strategy execution.

Consulting Code Blue

Management consulting skills (or the lack of them) make the difference between the success and failure of a consultant. Poor skills usually result in the consultant not being asked back, or worse, being dismissed. Such dismissal is the consulting equivalent of heart failure. In many hospitals, they would call such a failure a "code blue". I use the term "code blue" to describe the situation of consultants who are quite talented but find themselves out the door and on the outs.

Customer Value Creation In A Down Economy: Avoiding Near-sighted Strategy Mistakes

A slow economy provides many challenges for business leaders, but that does not mean we throw out the baby with the bathwater. Despite the challenges, long-term viability of our businesses relies on keeping our strategy focused beyond the horizon-line. Chief executives must own the responsibility to stay the course on value-creation, championing the cause to maintain enthusiasm for innovation within the business organization.

The Truth About Why So Many Strategic Plans Don’t Get Executed

Last week I was asked the question by a client prospect, “so how many retreats will we be doing as part of the strategic planning process?”. That got me to thinking about just how many of these retreats are probably happening in hotels across the U.S. this fall. Strategic planning retreats are a joke in terms of producing meaningful strategic plans, yet every year companies go through this ritualistic planning process. The problem is, virtually all of these so called strategy retreats provide very little value in terms of desired strategic planning outcomes.

How Well Do You Understand Your Organization’s Core Competencies?

What if you were to ask your key management team a simple question: “What do we do?” You might be surprised at the answers you would get: answers that lack consistency, focus, and clarity, with your key leaders offering slightly different responses to this seemingly simple and straight forward question. While it may sound somewhat juvenile to suggest that organizations expend effort to solicit feedback on what they do, there are some very compelling reasons to do so. And, in the end, you may find that this simplistic exercise is the root of many organizational troubles.

IS A CAREER IN MANAGEMENT CONSULTING RIGHT FOR YOU
In all, over 300,000 people work full-time in the management consulting industry, generating more than $30 billion in annual revenues. Just over half of these consultants come from the United States. However, management consulting is not a good fit for everyone.

WHAT IS MANAGEMENT CONSULTING

Answering the question "what is management consulting?" is as difficult as attempting to answer the question "how long is a piece of string?” There are two causes for the confusion about exactly what management consultants do. First, management consulting is an umbrella term that encompasses many different careers. Second, management consultants cannot give specific examples of their work because it is confidential and highly sensitive.

MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS - THE TRUSTED ADVISORS
Management consulting has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past two decades. The profile of a consultant has changed from being just a sharp and knowledgeable technologist to that of a trusted advisor for the client’s entire organization.

The Coaching Fallacy What it is and what it isnt
There is much confusion about what Coaching is- and isn’t. Many consulting firms have simply gone through their marketing materials and changed the word “consulting” to “coaching.” For many in the business world, that sums up what they perceive Coaching to be, a new word for consulting. Nothing could be farther from the truth!

How to Get Value from a Management Consultant
Unlike many outside services, management consulting is distinguished by qualities that appear less tangible -- and are therefore more difficult to assess up-front. Usually the fee must be set before the consultant's assignment begins. So how can a value-conscious manager make sure the company gets the consulting service, support and results that it's paying for?

Performance Consulting
Performance consulting is consulting with a direct impact. It is consulting that is typically divided into three sub-specialties including organizational development specialists, professional development specialists and personal coaches.

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