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www.forwardthinkinginc.com newsletter | latest edition | november 2011

As I write this, the financial press is full of news about the struggle for a eurozone deal to restore financial stability across Europe and fears of general instability and recession. I'm sure you are all wrestling with market led pressures in some form or another and the challenges of driving your business forward in this context. Perhaps as a result of the highly unpredictable environment in which firms need to operate today, it has become fashionable to question the value of long term strategy. The idea goes that in a world which is changing so fast the practicality, and even desirability, of strategic planning is questionable. The truth is that the strategic plan is now more valuable than ever and our lead article this month sets out our simple case for the argument. As a strategy consultancy now established for some 12 years, we work with a broad array of clients across multiple sectors and markets and our mission is always to help those clients to plot a clear strategy for growth. We try to support the leaders in our client businesses in projecting clarity and confidence, which in challenging times is more important than ever. Our second article is a perspective on the quest for "efficiency". A focus on managing cost and re-engineering the organisation is an understandable response to difficult times, but as an old boss of mine said to me nearly 20 years ago, "You can't shrink your way to greatness". We wonder if your organisation is over focused on the defensive side of the value equation and would be interested to hear your perspective. We wish you all a successful final quarter to the calendar year. The run up to Christmas is such a critical period for many of our clients that focus on delivery will be intense. Hopefully some energy is left for strategic thinking and we look forward to helping with that challenge wherever we can! Chris Woolston (MD)

testimonials Want to hear what people say about us? Please click here subscribe Want to hear more? Please visit our site and subscribe contact Have something you want to share? Please click here to email us unsubscribe To unsubscribe please click here A joint venture between forward thinking inc and Herman Miller forward thinking inc indigo house holbrooke place richmond surrey TW10 6UD t: +44(0) 208 939 2330 f: +44(0) 208 939 2331 Planning in a turbulent environment It is fashionable at the moment to question the value of long term strategy in a world which is changing so fast. The truth is that the strategic plan is more valuable than ever. Few enterprises are successful without a plan - whatever form that plan might take. This is not to say that once a plan is set, the organisation should be blind to changing circumstances. The successful strategist will have a clear plan and then react intelligently as it unfolds, adjusting execution as required. It is apparent that, in today's turbulent market, employees in most organisations are overloaded, stressed and often plain scared. What they respond well to is a leadership team who can explain their plan in simple terms and explain to each member of the team their role in delivering it. In challenging times, employees look to their leaders for clarity and confidence not prevarication, a range of options and unending debate. Turbulent times demand strong leaders and strong leaders should have a plan. Efficiency - last refuge of the failed strategist Much of the time and effort put in by management consultants, apparently working in the area of strategy, is in fact spent on simply trying to engineer a more efficient business machine. This may well be a valuable exercise, but is certainly not strategy. Recently, a well known strategy magazine commented that: Many analysts have reflected on the question of what's left once you have applied all the cost cutting, outsourcing, benchmarking, re-engineering and automation that you can muster and your business still doesn't grow as expected". The answer is that if you expect your business to grow as the result of implementing a series of efficiency measures, then you are in for a big surprise. The drivers of business growth are ideas and energy. An idea in the form of a genuine point of difference in your competitive environment, and the energy required to deliver on it with tenacity and panache.