TOM PETERS NOTICIAS

Tom Peters Times - September 2007

Everything You Need to Know About Strategy: A Baker's Dozen Eternal Verities by Tom Peters "Strategy" is essentially about "knowin' where you're goin.'" Not, mostly, a bad idea; though with today's market gyrations - and market gyration velocity - that's increasingly difficult to do, a chimera, a distraction even. For me, "knowin' who you're goin' with" tops the list of imperatives in a world of whitewater, and knowin' that those you're goin' with share your passion and determination - and the flexibility of mind to adjust and adjust and adjust on a dime. All of which is to say I'm not, and never have been, a champion of the management school of thought that says, or implies, "Get the strategy right (big word, "right"!), and the rest, as in all good things, will more or less automatically follow." In fact I think such a view - admittedly not as prevalent today as it used to be, in the wake of everything from huge bankruptcies to 9/11 - is total crap. So what do you need to know about "strategy"? That was the question I was asked recently by a rather contentious, die-hard academic strategy buff. (These ideas tend to die hardest in academic settings - where the stakes are so low.) My answer, in brief, follows: To continue reading the article, click here ...

Strategy Planning and Alignment: A Case Study Presenting Problem: A retail company grew from $20 million to $150 million over a five year period and stalled. The leadership team believed they had hit a wall. Background: Having successfully grown, the company reached the inevitable point where every element of the organization became misaligned. First, their growth brought about the appropriate - albeit painful - pressure on both the systems and people who once operated effectively as a small entrepreneurial team. There was naturally a silent wish to regain the control once felt "way back when" the company was small enough that everyone could "get their arms around it." Second, the company had an outsourced manufacturing model. Without factory ownership that leveraged a distrubtion supply chain, they believed they had lost their creative edge and their unique service delivery capability. The whole business model needed to be re-evaluated, and employees were hungry to realign their passion and re-imagine their future for the company's success. Third, market forces were creating major disruptions. Everyone was willing to make changes, but new processes were unfamiliar and uncomfortable - creating a fear that there was a breakdown in the very fabric of their culture. The industry itself was in turmoil and required an aggressive strategy, strong organizational execution alignment, and additional communication systems. For example, distribution channels were fragmented and the industry was ripe for consolidation; internet transactions were driving changes in buying patterns across the supply chain, complicating business predictability; and Asian suppliers in the product development and quality cycle added complexity in both production and service delivery. TPC Process: Their internal disruptions were very real. The company growth had overwhelmed the employees, leaving a sense of helplessness rather than a sense of empowerment. This is typical of companies who grow quickly. TPC worked with the senior management team by applying two solutions that fleshed out the strategy, and defined an execution process that would work within their cultural framework. First, we diagnosed their business challenges with Re-imagine Excellence, a two-day lab of interactive, customized, multi-media sessions utilizing group discussions, exercises and case studies. In these sessions, they addressed both their external and internal disruptions in order to identify specific changes to be implemented immediately and over the next three years. Second, we designed specific projects using our project management tool, WOW!Projects, as a platform to execute on critical initiatives. This project management tool imbedded a uniquely powerful methodology into their project management capabilities. The process reinforced alignment down the ranks of the organization, identified new infrastructure processes that needed to be put into place, and reinforced the loyalty of their great talent. Outcomes: The process ignited a renewed passion within all employees and a new vision for the leaders. They shaped their strategy, defined specific growth steps, and won unconditional alignment across and down the organization. The company achieved: A distinct strategy that mapped to the industry's external disruptions to effectively leapfrog their competition; A communication plan for rolling out the strategy so everyone knew their role and felt connected to their actions for success; Cross-functional ownership for execution on strategic projects that were completed using specific milestones and timelines; Employee engagement and productivity - a renewed passion for caring for all touch points throughout the supply chain: vendors, customers, contractors, and employees; and new markets and bottom line growth. So, why are we sharing this? This is what "The Pursuit of WOW!" looks like. We are passionate about our clients' success. Organizational change pursued for its own sake will not have this kind of dramatic impact on business performance. Achieving demanding goals just will not happen through "business as usual." They did it - they made this happen. Being dedicated to organizational change to realize breakthrough performance takes courage, candor, and capability. We are proud to be a part of their team. Their next steps? Exploring Brand You! Juli Ann Reynolds President and CEO tompeters!company

Brand You Road Trip Reminder As mentioned in last month's TP Times, the next stop on the Brand You Road Trip is Dallas, October 9, 2007. Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business Department of Executive Education and tompeters!company cosponsor a workshop to present the essential principles of Brand You: Inspired Performance. As the war for talent is heating up, becoming a Brand You should be a key part of every worker's strategy - for establishing your own personal strengths or aligning your values to those of your organization. There are only three weeks 'til our event in Dallas. Sign up now! You can go to the Cox School of Business website for registration: exed.cox.smu.edu/brandyou. For further information about Brand You or bringing a Brand You workshop to your city, call 617-242-5522 in the U.S. or email info@tompeters.com. We would welcome the opportunity to make your location another stop on our tour. Juli Ann Reynolds CEO tompeters!company

Cool Friend: Marti Barletta Women's marketing guru Marti Barletta is back for her third appearance among the Cool Friends to talk about her newest book, PrimeTime Women: How to Win the Hearts, Minds, and Business of Boomer Big Spenders. Read the engaging Cool Friends interview with Marti to see how things have improved in this field as well as her pragmatic insights on current marketing practices. Want more? Visit her blog, TrendSightings. Welcome back, Marti!

White Paper You see the banner for SubscriberMail in our newsletter every month. You might like to register on their website to receive this white paper, Seven Dirty Words. Registration is painless, and the "dirty words" will surprise you.

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