Why You Should Not Hire a Management Consulting Firm

...at least not yet.

There are many strategic management consulting companies in the United States and around the world.  For organizations that are looking for strategic consulting help in their business, there are so many options available to them that making a decision on the right consulting firm becomes daunting.  Even with all of the available expertise, many companies never seek the outside help.  Maybe that is the best for all concerned.  Bringing in outside consulting help is not for everyone.  When consulting companies come in to help with strategy or to solve complex business challenges, it is often an exercise that forces executives to check their egos at the door and confront their own organization’s issues and baggage.  Not all companies are up for that.  Are you ready?

Where Did "Why" Go?: The Role of Critical Evaluation in Strategic Planning


Why? It is an inquiry we don’t make often enough. “Why?” is the simplest form of a question, yet when it is asked, it cannot help but be thought provoking. “Why”, “what if” and other forms of critical evaluation promote discussion and lead to improvement in our decision-making process. Even so, we all too often elect not to use these words from of our repertoire. Instead, they are often replaced by, “sounds good to me” or some other form of passive acceptance. We should reflect on the importance of this elegantly simple but powerful trigger for critical thinking and make sure we do not allow “why” to become part of a forgotten business vocabulary. This article explores the importance of critical evaluation in strategy planning and asking, “Why?”.

“Don’t We Have People For That?”: Operational Planning & Strategy Execution

Well-implemented strategic planning provides the vision, direction and goals for the organization, but operational planning translates that strategy into the everyday execution tactics of the business that will ultimately produce the outcomes defined by the strategy.  Operational planning is the conversion of strategic goals into execution.

No business likes to admit it, but most are lacking in the know-how, competencies (skills, knowledge, experience) and discipline to carry off precise execution of strategic goals. This article addresses just how critical operational planning is to having good execution and offers help to those organizations who struggle with why and how to do it.