Strategic Discipline Blog

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Topics: Strategic Discipline, meeting rhythms, One Page Strategic Plan, priorities, Strategic Planning, Five Killer Competencies

A fundamental principal of Gazelles coaching is learning plus coaching equals growth.  The book Strategic Learning, by Willie Pietersen confirms and reinforces these principals.   The author points out that the key is to focus learning to shift from strategy as planning to strategy as learning, and thus to the new mission of strategy: to create an adaptive enterprise.

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Topics: Strategic Discipline, Aubrey Daniels, Strategic Learning, VUCA, Five Killer Competencies

The Pace of Change is requiring you and your staff to maintain a constant awareness of the marketplace.  It is necessary to have your antennae attuned to every opportunity. 

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Topics: Strategic Discipline, meeting rhythms, pattern recognition, Pace of Change

I read several books while on vacation including one recommended by one of our Gazelles coaches, Strategic Learning, by Willie Pietersen.  I’m sure you’ve noticed how frantically the environment is changing.  One of my clients today when reviewing his preparatory work for our Two Day Rockefeller Workshop noted one of his greatest fears is keeping pace with the rapid changes in technology that influence his business.  He’s afraid some pimple faced kid in a garage may come up with a tool that will render his company obsolete. 

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Topics: Strategic Discipline, meeting rhythms, priorities, metrics, Strategic Learning, Pace of Change

Have you ever found that when you go on vacation you come up with great ideas for your business?  Seemingly impossible challenges suddenly become simply resolvable when you are away from work?  It’s not surprising.  Michael Gelb, Author of “How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci” wrote, “Where are you when you get your best ideas?  Almost no one claims to get their best ideas at work.” 

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Topics: employee performance, time management, human behavior, The Power of Full Engagement, use of energy

Success is a difficult path to navigate based on exceptionally few numbers of businesses' that achieve success.  A recent challenge with one of my clients helps me recognize that success isn’t so much the greatness or talent of the person; rather it’s the commitment they make to strategic discipline and maintaining a vise-like grip on their vision.

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Topics: Strategic Discipline, small business, Jim Collins

What are the traits that separate successful small businessesreport hopes to explain why only 1 in 2 small businesses will survive more than five years, according to Small Business Administration figures. The study - called Six Dimensions That Characterize Success-Oriented Small Business Owners - is based on analysis of a survey of 1,100 small businesses with between 2 and 99 employees.  The survey discovered six important traits including:

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Topics: Strategic Discipline, priorities, small business

Last blog we discussed the Fourth Discipline, developing work process flow charts.  Would it surprise you to discover that 91% of small to midsized business don’t have a formal structured sales process?  One of our strategic partners is Objective Management Group.  OMG is the originator of sales force evaluations and have evaluated over 8500 different sales forces, and 450,000 sales people.  Most of the businesses they evaluate are larger companies since in order to evaluate sales teams; you need four or more sales people and managers.  The 91% number comes for their evaluations of these 8500 companies.  You can imagine what that number might be for sales teams smaller than 4 people.

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Topics: Work Process Flow Charts, Objective Management Group, priorities, Sales Evaluation, Sales Discipline

The principle of Strategic Discipline consists of three disciplines, meetings, metrics, and priorities. These are the essential tools that John D Rockefeller used to build Standard Oil into the largest company in the world.  They are still the essential disciplines that help your business communicate better and establish the fundamental principles to grow.

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Topics: Strategic Discipline, Work Process Flow Charts, Michael Gerber, Brand Promise, emyth, Business System, E-Myth Revisited

"Why do we have to do all this positive reinforcement stuff today?"  If you're a manager asking this question remembering when you didn't have to, recognize that the world has changed.

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Topics: employee performance, positive reinforcement, human behavior