21 Planning Potholes Consulting Firms Can Fall Into And Get Hopelessly Lost In
When you look at them from a safe distance, giraffes look pretty innocent. Their long legs and even longer necks make them look pretty delicate and even fragile.
When you look at them a tad closer, you have to look up some 17 feet and you’re looking at over one tonne of... well, giraffe. In spite of their seemingly slow-motion gallop, they can reach some 30 mph. In general, giraffes are pretty docile and peace-loving animals, but when provoked, they can turn on a dime and use their secret weapons, their hooves and the incredible kicking power of their legs.
Actually, a giraffe can kill a lion with one single kick. I’ve mentioned this interesting factoid because just as giraffes can change from docile animals into deadly kicking machines, plans of consulting firms have to be able to do the same when circumstances dictate changes. Sadly, plans often achieve the opposite and cause consulting firms to get stuck in ruts.
Planning is the process of determining both what to achieve (strategy formulation), how to achieve it (formulation of tactics) and an action plan to actually do it. Most firms have strategic planning retreats for their senior partners at exclusive locations at amazing prices, but more often than not the tactical part and implementation go down the drain.
After the strategy programme they all go back to their offices, get busy and the plan lands in the filing cabinet... again. Or partners come back from their retreats and just instruct their associates what to do, “We have decided..., so we want you to go and get it for us. We have great plans, and we want you to implement them for us.”
Here are some typical planning potholes many consulting firms fall into. Some climb out, but some get hopelessly lost. And this is what we discuss in this month's brain-fryingly exciting episode of Commando Consulting, entitled, 21 Planning Potholes Consulting Firms Can Fall Into And Get Hopelessly Lost In.
Enjoy!
When you look at them a tad closer, you have to look up some 17 feet and you’re looking at over one tonne of... well, giraffe. In spite of their seemingly slow-motion gallop, they can reach some 30 mph. In general, giraffes are pretty docile and peace-loving animals, but when provoked, they can turn on a dime and use their secret weapons, their hooves and the incredible kicking power of their legs.
Actually, a giraffe can kill a lion with one single kick. I’ve mentioned this interesting factoid because just as giraffes can change from docile animals into deadly kicking machines, plans of consulting firms have to be able to do the same when circumstances dictate changes. Sadly, plans often achieve the opposite and cause consulting firms to get stuck in ruts.
Planning is the process of determining both what to achieve (strategy formulation), how to achieve it (formulation of tactics) and an action plan to actually do it. Most firms have strategic planning retreats for their senior partners at exclusive locations at amazing prices, but more often than not the tactical part and implementation go down the drain.
After the strategy programme they all go back to their offices, get busy and the plan lands in the filing cabinet... again. Or partners come back from their retreats and just instruct their associates what to do, “We have decided..., so we want you to go and get it for us. We have great plans, and we want you to implement them for us.”
Here are some typical planning potholes many consulting firms fall into. Some climb out, but some get hopelessly lost. And this is what we discuss in this month's brain-fryingly exciting episode of Commando Consulting, entitled, 21 Planning Potholes Consulting Firms Can Fall Into And Get Hopelessly Lost In.
Enjoy!
posted by Bald Dog @ Monday, March 18, 2013
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