Joe Strategy

“The test of a first rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind and still retain the ability to function.  One should, for example be able to see a situation as hopeless yet be determined to make it otherwise.”
– F. Scott Fitzgerald

Let’s face it, seeing the glass as both half full and half empty at the same time is a difficult task, but one that must happen if a company is to survive and thrive during adversity.  Strategic planning provides a great opportunity to do so, because it allows us to step back from the daily battles, consider the possibilities and establish a direction.  Adversity is better dealt with when we know where the light in the tunnel is and what it represents.  While this can be challenging, Joe Strategy believes there are three skills needed to plan during a crisis. Read more

“The way in which strategic planning is performed is a relic of the past, not reflective of our dynamic times.” — Joe Strategy

My first strategic planning session was in 1996.  I participated in one last year that was almost identical in process, exercises, and focus — as were the dozen others in which I have been a participant instead of a facilitator. Read more

In last Friday’s post, we talked about the importance of viewing branding as integral to your overall strategic planning.

We defined branding as how your customers and the marketplace perceive you. We emphatically professed that brand equity is a real thing and should be an important strategic goal for any business. And we pointed out that too often branding and strategic planning activities are separate and that this divide leads to disconnects between brand promise and delivery, discontent among customers and employees, and the erosion of brand equity. Read more