Absence of a Planning Culture

You’ve heard it over and over again – find time to work on your business rather than in your business.  Sounds easy, but we know that this is a real challenge.  Your business decides when and how it will or will not grow despite what you do when the business operates ad hoc.  Think the “tail wagging the dog.”  Planning ensures we are intentional about the future as well as how we operate in the present.

Unstructured Communication and Execution Rhythm

Is the team aligned and “in the know?”  Likely not unless there is a structured rhythm of communication that ensures effective execution.  When you’re communicating on your strategic direction and the related work routinely, issues are surfaced and resolved more quickly, the velocity of work itself increases, and the probability of success increases.  Without structured and routine communications on the right things, failure is certain.

Relying on the Usual Suspects

Relying on those that hold a title rather than those that are the best fit for the work is a critical component of the blueprint for failure.  Too often, especially in early stage companies, the business is organized with too many managers and not enough “doers” resulting in a fatal lack of execution capacity.  

Refusal to Focus on the Vital Few

The shotgun approach – working on everything rather than just the right things.  Too many spinning plates is a step on the blueprint for failure.  What to do?  Trim your strategic initiatives or operational priorities to the vital few.  Focus is the key.

No Actionable Strategic or Operational Plan

Thinking about the business and talking about the business isn’t a plan.  Running the business day to day isn’t a plan.  Cashing checks and paying bills as they come in isn’t a plan.  Correct this by being intentional in every aspect of your business.  Set objectives, determine how you will measure your progress, and deconstruct your objectives into actionable work. Do any of these characteristics sound familiar? Could this be a description of your business?  Change is possible.  Contact ClearPath Strategic today.

The post Blueprint for Failure first appeared on Clearpath Strategic.

Listen to the Leadership Lowdown with Paul Mead. Paul is the Principal Advisor for ClearPath Strategic. The firm was established in 2012 with the sole purpose of supporting companies in the local community and beyond. Paul encourages leaders to be more deliberate about their future through clear strategies with effective execution. Pauls says, “project execution is much more than plans and schedules. Projects seldom go off track because people don’t do the work. It’s because we don’t talk – at least not enough and about the right things”.

Listen in on this edition of the Leadership Lowdown! There is much to talk about with this expert!

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Looking for more information on planning and strategy? Check out the blog here.

The post Leadership Lowdown | The Clear Path to Strategic Leadership first appeared on Clearpath Strategic.

The truth is, in order to achieve sustainable success, you need to have a clear and intentional strategy in place. Without a map or direction, it can be challenging to arrive at your destination. This is where Emergent Strategy comes into play – it’s about recognizing that success can emerge from unexpected places, but also being intentional about creating a strategy to help guide that success.

So, how can you turn your Accidental Success into intentional and deliberate growth? Here are some key steps to consider:

1. Identify your goals: Before you can create a strategy, you need to know what you’re working towards. Take some time to reflect on your personal or professional goals and identify what success looks like to you. 
2. Assess your current situation: Once you know where you want to go, take a look at where you are now. Assess your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to get a clear understanding of your current situation. 
3. Develop a strategy: Based on your goals and current situation, develop a clear and intentional strategy that will guide your actions towards achieving success. This strategy should include specific goals, action steps, timelines, and metrics to track progress. 
4. Stay flexible: Emergent Strategy is not about sticking to a rigid plan come hell or high water. It’s about being open to new opportunities and adjusting your strategy as needed to capitalize on those opportunities. 
5. Measure your progress: Finally, it’s important to regularly measure your progress towards your goals. This will help you stay on track and make adjustments as needed to ensure you’re moving in the right direction.

Emergent Strategy is about recognizing that success can emerge from unexpected places, but also being intentional about creating a strategy to guide that success. By following the steps outlined above, you can turn Accidental Success into intentional growth and achieve sustainable success in your personal or professional life.

Are you searching for more ways to be deliberate about your success? Check out part I and part II on Strategy Management – Why It Matters. 

The post Emergent vs. Deliberate Strategy – Why It Matters first appeared on Clearpath Strategic.

1. Strategic planning
2. An execution model
3. Well-defined and documented business practices

In this post, we will dive deeper into why Strategy Management should matter to your business.

Many businesses tend to operate with an Emergent Strategy model, where success can come by chance, without a clear plan or direction. While this approach may lead to short-term success, it is not a sustainable way to achieve long-term growth and development. This is where a deliberate strategy model comes into play – it provides an established roadmap for achieving organizational goals and ensures that the work done is proactive, rather than reactive.

A well-constructed strategy will help your company focus on the “right things” in relation to stimulating growth and achieving key objectives. This means that your business will be able to prioritize and work on the most important tasks that will lead to long-term success. Additionally, with the support of a project management execution model, a strategy can help your company work on these objectives the “right way,” ensuring that resources are being used efficiently and effectively.

In our next post, we will explore the impact that Strategy Management has on organizational focus and the value proposition to your clients. By having a clear and intentional strategy in place, businesses can align their efforts towards achieving common goals, which can lead to increased focus and better outcomes for both the organization and its clients.

Strategy Management is a critical component of any successful business. By adopting a deliberate strategy model, businesses can establish a clear roadmap towards achieving their goals and work towards long-term success.

The post Part II: Strategy Management – Why It Matters first appeared on Clearpath Strategic.

Strategy is a term that can have various interpretations, and in the context of a small business, it refers to articulating the core purpose of the business and much more. Essentially, a business strategy outlines the overall plan for the business, including its long-term goals and objectives, and the supporting capability objectives required to achieve them. 

Now, for understanding Strategy Management. Think of Strategy Management as a process group that encompasses all the necessary elements for achieving the business’s goals. The pillars of Strategy Management include developing a strategy that articulates the business’s core purpose and long-term goals, with supporting capability objectives. Additionally, the Strategy Management process employs an effective execution model, such as project management and communication rhythm, with well-defined and documented business practices. 

By adopting a Strategy Management approach, small businesses can ensure that they have a clear roadmap for achieving their goals. With a well-defined strategy in place, businesses can align their efforts towards achieving common goals, and the execution model can help them work towards these goals efficiently and effectively. Additionally, well-defined and documented business practices can help businesses operate more smoothly and consistently, reducing the likelihood of errors or inefficiencies. 

In our next post, we will dive deeper into why Strategy Management specifically matters to you and your business. By understanding the importance of Strategy Management and the pillars that support it, small businesses can establish a clear roadmap for success and work towards achieving the goals in a deliberate and efficient manner. Stay tuned for part II in our Deliberate Strategy series.

The post Part I: Strategy Management – Why It Matters first appeared on Clearpath Strategic.

It is not enough to focus solely on technical skills. The project scope should guide the selection process, considering the support needed from various departments such as back-office help, marketing, and production. Personality traits are also essential to consider. While it is desirable to have team members who get along, it is essential to have individuals who are willing to hold themselves and their colleagues accountable. Therefore, it may be necessary to add a Shark to the team, a person who adds value based on their expertise but does not always get along with others. The Shark is direct and will call people out when the work or quality is lacking. However, it is crucial to select a Shark who can be influenced, as you do not want a Shark who creates more problems than they solve.

Additionally, it is vital to avoid selecting the usual suspects when forming a project team. Instead, consider bringing in new team members with fresh perspectives, furthering the professional development of colleagues and expanding the talent pool for future projects.

It is crucial to select the right team, as plans and schedules are meaningless if you cannot execute them. A well-selected team is more likely to achieve the project’s objectives, even when faced with challenges.

If you feel confident in your project team, the next step is to focus on project communication. Effective communication is essential in ensuring everyone is aligned, transparent about progress, and aware of any issues that may arise. In the next post of the Project 911 series, we will dive deeper into project communication and how to create a communication rhythm to keep the project on track.

The post Selecting Your Team – Sharks are Good! first appeared on Clearpath Strategic.

When it comes to making a list, nobody does it better than Santa himself! Therefore, if you want to have a successful project, you need to create a list – just like Saint Nick. The Work Plan is the core plan that supports the broader project plan, outlining the specific steps and tasks needed to achieve the deliverables. A good work plan is a straightforward list of deliverables with underlying tasks and dependencies, without any fancy details.

Creating a work plan is a process of deconstructing the deliverables into smaller, manageable tasks. For example, if you want to paint a wall, you need to identify all the tasks required to complete the job, such as cleaning the wall, preparing the paint, taping the edges, applying the paint, and waiting for it to dry. Depending on your level of detail, you may have four or forty tasks to complete. Each project manager approaches their work plan differently, and it is essential to plan to a level of detail that works for you.

However, if your project is off track, it may be an indication that you have not planned with enough detail. In such cases, you need to continue deconstructing the deliverables and identifying missing tasks or dependencies that may be contributing to the project’s challenges. By doing so, you can develop a rock-solid work plan.

It is crucial to note that a work plan is not the same as a project schedule. A work plan outlines the specific tasks required to achieve each deliverable, while a project schedule specifies when these tasks will be completed. Therefore, having a solid work plan is crucial before developing an effective project schedule.

A Work Plan is an essential tool in project management that outlines the specific steps and tasks needed to achieve the project deliverables. Just like Santa, project managers need to develop a comprehensive list of deliverables with underlying tasks and dependencies, without any fancy details. By deconstructing the deliverables and identifying missing tasks or dependencies, project managers can develop a rock-solid work plan that will keep the project on track. If your project still doesn’t feel right despite having a solid work plan, the next step is to address any issues and risks that may be contributing to the project’s challenges.

The post Who’s Ultimate List Maker – Santa, that’s who! first appeared on Clearpath Strategic.

Scope is like a telescope that helps us see what we cannot see. It illuminates the “why” of the project, going beyond the requirements and tasks to understand the project’s overall goals and objectives. Focusing only on requirements and tasks might lead to missing the bigger picture of what the project is intended to accomplish. Therefore, defining the scope as part of the project initiation process is crucial to understanding the project’s goals and boundaries.

Consider the example of painting a room. Breaking down the requirements and tasks might seem simple, but defining the scope helps to understand where the room fits into the overall scheme of the house. Is it the right color? Is it the right room? Are there other areas of the house that require higher priority? Answering these “why” questions helps to align the project’s objectives with the work that is already underway.

The first step to resuscitating your critical project is to ensure that your team understands the scope, maps out the project goals and boundaries, reconciles them with the work already underway, and aligns them with the stakeholders’ expectations. Make sure everyone understands the “why” of the project.

If you feel confident about your project scope, the next step is to check out the Project Team in the next post of the Project 911 series.

The post Project Scope – the Bigger Picture first appeared on Clearpath Strategic.

Communication is critical to ensure that everyone involved in the project is on the same page. To address this issue, consider establishing a well-designed communication rhythm. This should consist of recurring meetings such as daily stand-ups, weekly check-ins, monthly sponsor reviews, and so on. This framework ensures that communication is effective both internally and externally, with stakeholders like sponsors and customers. During these meetings, focus on the facts: where the project stands, where it needs to be, and what is blocking progress.

Transparency about progress and issues will help keep the team and stakeholders aligned, significantly reducing the likelihood of the project going off track. If your communication is already solid, the next step is to examine the project work plan.

Check out the next post as we take a closer look at the work plan and explore how to identify any issues that may be impeding your project’s progress.

The post Can we talk? first appeared on Clearpath Strategic.

The first step is to take an inventory of your process groups and isolate areas where you may be feeling uncomfortable. Here are a few examples:

1. Scope: Does your team really understand what they are trying to accomplish? It’s important to have a clear understanding of not only the requirements but also the objectives and the bigger picture.

2. Team: Do you have the right people with the necessary skill sets on your team? Are you missing any key players? Furthermore, do we have the right people in the right seats on the bus?

3. Communication: Are you communicating effectively with your team and with the right people? Communication breakdowns can cause major problems in any project.

4. Work Plan: Have you broken down the work to the right level of detail? Are things falling through the cracks? It’s important to have a detailed work plan to ensure that everyone is on the same page.

5. Issues and Risks: Have you thoroughly identified both the issues and risks associated with your project? What are you doing about them? It’s essential to have a plan in place to mitigate any potential risks or issues that may arise.

Remember to take a deep breath and stick to your processes. Even the most troubled project can be resuscitated with the right approach.

Contact ClearPath Strategic today to help you answer these questions.

The post My Project Has Gone Critical – Now What? first appeared on Clearpath Strategic.