If you were about to build a house, would you start by putting out an RFP asking for bids on a three-bedroom house? Of course not. The bids would be all over the map. You’d have no idea what the house would look like once it’s built; and the chances of being happy with theRead… Read more »
Does it make any sense for the government to think long term? One agency, NASA, developed a 200-year strategic plan, at one point. They engaged futurists and science fiction writers to help develop a plan for interplanetary exploration. Maybe it makes sense for NASA, but what about other agencies? Strategic foresight is not futurist forecasting,Read… Read more »
The objective is the most important element of a successful endeavor; it drives everything. If not well defined and understood, you will “miss the mark” – you will waste time and resources. There can only be one objective; if there is more than one objective you have more than one project or initiative. What isRead… Read more »
Solutions come from discussions. Strategic solutions develop from structured discussions. For strategic planning, a facilitator is like the conductor of an orchestra – does not write the music or play the instruments, but does bring it all together for the desired result. The facilitator is an asset to a critical planning session bringing their experienceRead… Read more »
When it comes to fixing things around the house, I range between Unconscious and Conscious Incompetence depending on the task, (or the prior evening’s indulgences). Recently, while standing in the checkout line of my local Home Depot, (for the second time that day), I looked at the guy behind me and said “What is itRead… Read more »
What’s the distinction? A strategic plan is a project, initiated by others – e.g., the CEO, the Board, Department Head – with some input from the originator but little participation. Planning strategically is a team project, initiated by the leader of the team, with the leader’s input and participation. First thing to determine for eitherRead… Read more »
So by now most of you are aware of the incident that occurred at the US Embassy in Benghazi on September 11th 2012. An independent panel was established by the U.S. Government to further investigate how the attack occurred, how it was handled, and what can be done to prevent such future issues from takingRead… Read more »
2013 is literally around the corner. The topic of goals and objectives arises frequently this time of year. Many organizations (and individuals) have begun to update their strategies and create new goals for the New Year, have you? Hopefully you have, and if you haven’t, well – you may want to add it to yourRead… Read more »
No matter who wins the election in two weeks, change will come. If the President is re-elected, we’ll see some new political appointees coming onboard and certainly new initiatives. If Governor Romney is elected, we’ll see wholesale changes in political personnel and plans; and transition teams will move into agencies quickly. In either case, newRead… Read more »
As many government agencies are aware, creating a strategy is a mandate, and creating and communicating an actionable strategy can make or break the performance goals of the agency or department and impact the ability to deliver on the mission. According to our marketing partner – Preactive Marketing – the phrase “strategy is…” generates roughlyRead… Read more »