Strategy 360 was just profiled in the media again – this time on a front-page newspaper article. I ran into a friend and they asked me, “Isn’t it exciting to see that article?”
Yes, the article was great, but really the best moments with Strategy 360 is when I see an eager, but insecure high-school or college student, or an entrepreneur suddenly understand the power of having a complete strategic plan of their own.
You can see the change in their eyes! Suddenly they get it! It usually happens about a half hour into the Strategy 360 training program. It is interesting to see these people walk into the room a little lost, a little doubtful and having no real strategy, and walk out of the room for the first time with a solid game plan.
Media interviews can be fun. But it is far more thrilling to see this transformation in the eyes of a person who has their potential unlocked with new strategic thinking skills.
Home Court Advantage
Yesterday I went with my son Steven to the Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Laker’s Game in Phoenix. The Suns won the game decisively 118 to 111, even without their star player Steve Nash, who was injured.
What was interesting is that these two teams had just played four days earlier in Los Angeles, and the Laker’s won 132 to 106.
This brought home the point of having the home court advantage.
We all need a home court advantage in our day to day competitions. Having a great team, and being cheered on by our home town really can energize performance.
Never underestimate the power of cheering on our own teams, in the office … and at home!
What was interesting is that these two teams had just played four days earlier in Los Angeles, and the Laker’s won 132 to 106.
This brought home the point of having the home court advantage.
We all need a home court advantage in our day to day competitions. Having a great team, and being cheered on by our home town really can energize performance.
Never underestimate the power of cheering on our own teams, in the office … and at home!
The “Roots” of Purpose, People, Productivity, Progress
Lately I have been studying the roots of key words, and I studied the roots of the four elements of an effective strategy; specifically, Purpose, People, Productivity and Progress.
Purpose: Origins in pose, which means “question” and Early English appose meaning “examine closely” and “interrogate”. Early French porpos meaning “aim” “intention” and “by design”.
People: Founded in Latin populus, meaning “population” or a “body of persons” comprising a “community”, or a “host of warriors” - acting upon character, personal power, influence and the destiny of men. “People” are the ultimate creation, and thus they are the ultimate priority.
Productivity: Based in Latin pro, meaning “forward” or “in favor of”, and ductus meaning “to lead”. A social principle meaning “fit for production” or to “lead or bring forth” and “create” something strong and of social worth of valoir or “value”. Without productivity, there is no value.
Progress: From the Latin progressus. The roots of this word are pro meaning “forward” and gress meaning “flow” or “movement”, or “moving forward”. The “action of walking forward” and the “advancement of higher stages” is taken by the avant-garde or “pioneers and innovators”.
Knowing these four words is a powerful strategy just by themselves. For example, when I walk into a meeting, the first thing I want to know is, what is the “Purpose” of the meeting? Then I want to know about all the “People”, both in the meeting and who will be affected by the meeting. Then I want to look at our current level of “Productivity” in relation to the meeting’s agenda. Last, I want to know about “Progress”, or where we go from here.
Purpose: Origins in pose, which means “question” and Early English appose meaning “examine closely” and “interrogate”. Early French porpos meaning “aim” “intention” and “by design”.
People: Founded in Latin populus, meaning “population” or a “body of persons” comprising a “community”, or a “host of warriors” - acting upon character, personal power, influence and the destiny of men. “People” are the ultimate creation, and thus they are the ultimate priority.
Productivity: Based in Latin pro, meaning “forward” or “in favor of”, and ductus meaning “to lead”. A social principle meaning “fit for production” or to “lead or bring forth” and “create” something strong and of social worth of valoir or “value”. Without productivity, there is no value.
Progress: From the Latin progressus. The roots of this word are pro meaning “forward” and gress meaning “flow” or “movement”, or “moving forward”. The “action of walking forward” and the “advancement of higher stages” is taken by the avant-garde or “pioneers and innovators”.
Knowing these four words is a powerful strategy just by themselves. For example, when I walk into a meeting, the first thing I want to know is, what is the “Purpose” of the meeting? Then I want to know about all the “People”, both in the meeting and who will be affected by the meeting. Then I want to look at our current level of “Productivity” in relation to the meeting’s agenda. Last, I want to know about “Progress”, or where we go from here.
Planned On a Napkin, Over Lunch
Have you ever heard of a successful businessperson or entrepreneur say, “I planned my project out on a napkin over lunch”?
How do they do that? What’s on that napkin? Can a successful business or project really be laid out on a single piece of paper?
To accomplish anything, we perform better with a written strategic plan. But it’s a myth that strategic planning needs to be a long, difficult process.
Strategy 360 reveals how to outline a complete strategy – even on a napkin or a single piece of paper. No kidding, once you know the formula, the one-page strategic worksheet is right on Page 254.
For detailed strategies, the addenda of my book, Strategy 360, which has outlines for a full business strategic plan, plus a complete life strategic plan … which integrate perfectly … and every CEO I talk to says it is the most comprehensive strategic plan outline they’ve ever seen.
How do they do that? What’s on that napkin? Can a successful business or project really be laid out on a single piece of paper?
To accomplish anything, we perform better with a written strategic plan. But it’s a myth that strategic planning needs to be a long, difficult process.
Strategy 360 reveals how to outline a complete strategy – even on a napkin or a single piece of paper. No kidding, once you know the formula, the one-page strategic worksheet is right on Page 254.
For detailed strategies, the addenda of my book, Strategy 360, which has outlines for a full business strategic plan, plus a complete life strategic plan … which integrate perfectly … and every CEO I talk to says it is the most comprehensive strategic plan outline they’ve ever seen.
Top MBA Skills
I just heard from another CEO. His comments were over-the-top-excited about Strategy 360. I told him that it outlines all the skills for a complete strategy, including goal setting, time management, team-building and profit-earning.
Work on this strategic framework started in the 1980’s, as a graduate student at UCLA. Then I spent many more years applying these concepts in the real world.
Later, I have had the privilege to work on many of the world’s toughest cases. I’ve worked on Hurricane Katrina, the Flight 93 Crash Site and the OJ Simpson crime scene. My clients include government, corporations, insurance companies and property owners.
With my cases, hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars are at stake. These situations are serious, and in critical cases like these, there is no time for theory or happy-talk. I must deliver strong, practical results.
Strategy 360 delivers top MBA-level concepts that are actually used by the world’s top organizations. The strategies laid out in the book are the actual strategies used behind the scenes in the high-profile cases that you have seen on television or read about in the newspaper. The Strategy 360 principles work in the board room, court room, class room and even the family room.
Work on this strategic framework started in the 1980’s, as a graduate student at UCLA. Then I spent many more years applying these concepts in the real world.
Later, I have had the privilege to work on many of the world’s toughest cases. I’ve worked on Hurricane Katrina, the Flight 93 Crash Site and the OJ Simpson crime scene. My clients include government, corporations, insurance companies and property owners.
With my cases, hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars are at stake. These situations are serious, and in critical cases like these, there is no time for theory or happy-talk. I must deliver strong, practical results.
Strategy 360 delivers top MBA-level concepts that are actually used by the world’s top organizations. The strategies laid out in the book are the actual strategies used behind the scenes in the high-profile cases that you have seen on television or read about in the newspaper. The Strategy 360 principles work in the board room, court room, class room and even the family room.
To Achieve Anything, We Must Have a Strategy
The first sentence of Strategy 360 is, “To achieve anything, we must have a strategy”. This not only applies to the cases that I work on, but for any student, employee, homemaker, manager or CEO. For any person or any organization to prosper, there must be a clear, defined and deliberate game plan.
Conventional planning gets conventional results. If you are content with the way things are now, then Strategy 360 is not for you. But if you want to take your business or life to a higher level, then it will give you the framework that insures a complete game plan. Strategy 360 delivers powerful results.
The key is that a strategy must be intelligent and complete. Strategy 360 identifies all 10 areas that must be addressed for a complete game plan. It is kind of like a spine, if one vertebra goes out of alignment, then everything falls apart. On the other hand, if it is complete, then the business or individual is strong and healthy, and can really take off.
I’ve been fortunate to have the Wall Street Journal, People Magazine, all major TV networks and dozens of newspapers take note of my work and profile my career.
As an applied economist and educator for over 20 years, I’ve had the opportunity to speak to many audiences. I’ve been on hundreds of radio stations and dozens of television shows. This gave me the unique opportunity of sharing my experiences with millions of people in all walks of life throughout the United States, Canada, South America and Asia. Strategy 360 is my effort to put all of these experiences, proven concepts and strategies all into one place.
Because I’ve worked on some tough cases, sometimes the media calls me the “Master of Disaster”. In many of the disasters that I work on, they were caused by a person or an organization that were “strategically unfit”. In profiling my career, the Wall Street Journal gave me another nickname and said, “Dr. Disaster has a prescription”.
So, do you want to be more financially fit, physically fit or mentally fit? The prescription is to become “strategically fit”.
Conventional planning gets conventional results. If you are content with the way things are now, then Strategy 360 is not for you. But if you want to take your business or life to a higher level, then it will give you the framework that insures a complete game plan. Strategy 360 delivers powerful results.
The key is that a strategy must be intelligent and complete. Strategy 360 identifies all 10 areas that must be addressed for a complete game plan. It is kind of like a spine, if one vertebra goes out of alignment, then everything falls apart. On the other hand, if it is complete, then the business or individual is strong and healthy, and can really take off.
I’ve been fortunate to have the Wall Street Journal, People Magazine, all major TV networks and dozens of newspapers take note of my work and profile my career.
As an applied economist and educator for over 20 years, I’ve had the opportunity to speak to many audiences. I’ve been on hundreds of radio stations and dozens of television shows. This gave me the unique opportunity of sharing my experiences with millions of people in all walks of life throughout the United States, Canada, South America and Asia. Strategy 360 is my effort to put all of these experiences, proven concepts and strategies all into one place.
Because I’ve worked on some tough cases, sometimes the media calls me the “Master of Disaster”. In many of the disasters that I work on, they were caused by a person or an organization that were “strategically unfit”. In profiling my career, the Wall Street Journal gave me another nickname and said, “Dr. Disaster has a prescription”.
So, do you want to be more financially fit, physically fit or mentally fit? The prescription is to become “strategically fit”.
A Mission Statement
I am a big believer in mission statements, and updating them often. As we start a new year – and this blog – I have updated the mission statement for Strategy 360:
“The mission of Strategy 360 is to help people become strategic thinkers.”
This mission statement captures what we are all about. Conventional thinking will bring conventional results. On the other hand, strategic thinking will bring superior results. We make that happen.
“The mission of Strategy 360 is to help people become strategic thinkers.”
This mission statement captures what we are all about. Conventional thinking will bring conventional results. On the other hand, strategic thinking will bring superior results. We make that happen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)