article thumbnail

Your Strategic Plans Probably Aren’t Strategic, or Even Plans

Harvard Business

At the start of my public seminars on strategic planning I ask attendees, who rank from board members and CEOs to middle management, to write down an example of a strategy on a sheet of paper. Let’s go back to our seminar list and take one of the responses: “achieve $100m net revenue.”

System 134
article thumbnail

Less Marketing, More Consulting — How To Win Projects Within Your Network with Stuart Friedman: Podcast #19

Consulting Success

In the same conversation, Stuart has heard executives boast about their advanced technology, experienced and talented employees, and operational excellence, and then go on to share the less-impressive facts that they have missed revenue goals, have too-high expenses and are facing disappointing and surprising forecasts coming in again.

Marketing 202
Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

How to Align Executive Development with Organizational Values

Consulting Matters

When I was an organizational development consultant for Disney, I worked with the Imagineers and Operators. The Operators viewed Imagineers as people who had their heads in the sky, and Imagineers viewed Operators as so focused on day to day that they couldn't see the big picture.

article thumbnail

How to Launch a Working Parents’ Support Group in Your Organization

Harvard Business

Make sure to keep communications demographically neutral: In emails, for example, specify that “this group/seminar is open to every interested working parent at [organization name].” In these organizations, the working parents’ groups feel like natural and essential outgrowths of core operations.

Groups 128
article thumbnail

Can Consulting Make a Positive Social Impact?

Tom Spencer

These students coordinate the activities of five innovators while reporting to the Director of Operations on the Executive Board. In addition to the normal skill sessions, students in the management level also attend seminars to improve their leadership skills.

article thumbnail

Why Your Employees and Colleagues Might Be Your Most Important Customers - SPONSOR CONTENT FROM DISNEY INSTITUTE

Harvard Business

We teach participants in our courses and seminars an important tip: Recruit and hire people with a heart for service, because it’s everyone’s role to provide great service, not just the service department’s.

article thumbnail

6 Steps to Make Your Strategic Plan Really Strategic

Harvard Business

I’ll let you in on the six-step technique I have developed over many years, working with clients and in teaching my public seminars on strategic planning. .” This problem is the lack of an effective “method” — a systematic or established procedure to undertake something, step by step. But methods can be learned.