Table of Contents
Preface viii
Acknowledgements xi
About the author xii
01 Getting a bigger brain: how to think like a strategist 1
The really big questions 3
The key tactical questions 19
02 What are they thinking? Customer analysis 25
The customer from your point of view 25
Customers - from their point of view 32
03 Getting into their heads: how to understand your customers 38
Observation 39
Talking 39
Focus groups 41
Surveys 42
04 Who else is out there? Potential customer analysis 45
Customers for the products/services you provide who are buying from your competitors 45
Customers who are not yet buying the products/services you (and others) provide 46
Customers you could have, if you developed your business in a different direction 48
05 What are they doing? Competitor analysis 51
Competitor relationships 51
Competitor analysis 53
Who are the potential competitors? 56
06 Pressure points: understanding the driving forces in your industry 58
Environmental analysis 60
Barriers to entry analysis 63
Availability analysis 65
07 What are we thinking? Understanding what is happening in your organization 67
Stakeholder analysis 69
Culture analysis 70
Skills matrix/talent analysis 74
Financial performance analysis 76
Process performance (using the sub-optimization analysis) 77
Risk analysis 79
Resources versus outcomes analysis 80
Cause and effect analysis 82
Relative scale analysis (benchmarking) 84
Absolute scale analysis (using a framework) 87
Change readiness analysis 89
08 Building the guiderails for the future: mission, vision, values and measures 91
The shape of the statements 92
The mission, vision and values workshop 98
Reinforcing the statements every day 102
09 How to pick a strategy that is right for your business 106
Facilitation 107
Scenario options analysis 112
Market future analysis 114
Lifecycle analysis 117
Portfolio analysis 119
SWOT analysis 121
Concentration of effort analysis 124
The activity hedgehog 129
Movement analysis 131
10 Making strategy happen: how to lead your business to success 133
Uniting themes 133
Generic strategies 135
The action workshop 144
11 Selling your message 153
Putting it in writing 153
Show and tell 162
12 Bringing it all together 171
A strong mandate 172
A strong purpose 173
Preparation 173
The right people 175
The right action plan 176
Early wins 177
Communication 178
Lock-in 178
13 Tricks and traps 181
Trick 1: Keeping perspective 182
Trick 2: Keeping a grasp on reality 185
Trick 3: Seeing the world through others' eyes 186
Trap 1: Finding the solution too soon 189
Trap 2: Following conventional thinking 190
Trap 3: Not focusing on outcomes 192
Appendix: Worksheets 195
Index 220
