Managing the Future – Strategic Thinking Your Way to Success

 

In this 3-day course you use a time-tested method of projecting into the future and working backwards to achieve measurable results. Traditionally organizations review their present accomplishments and add a percentage of growth. This “creep” model doesn’t use the potential of the organization and short changes growth over the long term. By working from a vision base the organization is able to achieve more with less, better assign its resources, and measure its performance. This course challenges mangers and management teams to move to different levels of thinking to achieve what is possible in their business.

The Strategic Thinking course is a different look at the components that make up planning for the future. Instead of a traditional forward-looking approach using market analysis, SWOT, or competitive strategies, this course builds on three strategic questions. By asking and answering these three elegantly simple questions a management team is better able to approach its future in a planful manner.

                Where do you want to be?

                Where are you now?

                How do you plan to get to where you want to go?

Who Should Attend

This is an executive level or top management team course. It is designed for persons who must prepare their companies for the future and are not satisfied with their present success at strategic management.

Objectives

1.       To create a habit of long term thinking versus short term orientation

2.       To develop a Vision scenario based on backPlanning concepts instead of the traditional “planning creep” mentality

  1. To create a business advantages from thoughtful consideration of the future instead of quarterly performance results
  2. To break mental models of business as usual and replace with models of what is possible.

 

 Practical Skills and Applications

As a result of this work you should be able to understand and apply the following:

1.       The operational use of a Strategic Intent statement

2.       The effectiveness of using the Vision/Mission anchor points

3.       The most correct way to define, develop, and execute Strategic Goals

4.       The use of Objectives as milestones for accomplishment of the goals

5.       The application of thinking and acting based on Business Drivers

6.       The use of effective Strategies as a tool to achieve the business plan
 

What You Will Cover

·         Learning From Past Strategic Thinking Models

The dangers of SWOT analysis

The pitfalls of competitive analysis

The shortfalls of benchmarking best of breed

The alternative of backward thinking

·         Writing and communicating a Strategic Intent Statement

·         Creating a Vision Statement for Selected Scenarios

  • Developing a One Sentence Mission Statement as the Basis for Organizational Purpose
  • Connecting the Vision and Mission Through the Use of Business Drivers
  • Selecting a Single Focus
  • Preparing Strategic Goals to Support Your Vision
  • Setting Objectives as Milestones for Goal Accomplishment
  • Executing Winning Strategies to Assure Vision Accomplishment
  • Thinking Through Long Term Resource Requirements

Qualifying Organizational Structure to Meet Long