Bold Leadership, Clear Strategy – Microsoft?

To those of us who have been involved with technology for some years, Microsoft is not a vendor we would associate with that title. Times change. And there is a new Microsoft, under 17-month CEO Satya Nadella.Microsoft Logo Reverse

Why does this matter? Love them or hate them, our lives and our leadership are impacted by Microsoft’s role in the marketplace.

On June 17th, Nadella restructured the tech giant’s organization. Why? To better align with his vision for the company and support execution of his strategy for achieving it. His vision has been summarized as “mobile first, cloud first.” His new strategy involves three initiatives: “reinvent productivity and business processes, build the intelligent cloud platform, and create more personal computing” (from the official announcement at Microsoft.com). And the operating divisions are now organized explicitly around those elements of the strategy: Applications and Services, Cloud and Enterprise, and Windows and Devices.

Time and markets will judge the success of these plans. In the mean time, they serve as a positive example of strategic leadership.


Two things…

  • My thanks to Jared Newman for his excellent article on the subject, in the July 2015 PC World magazine.
  • In case you wondered, I am platform-neutral. I am currently using a Windows laptop and desktop, Android phone and tablet, and used Macintosh extensively in the past.

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10 Reasons You Need an Independent Facilitator

When speaking with leaders about strategic planning, one question almost always comes up. “We can handle planning internally. Why should we use an independent facilitator?” Of course you can do it yourself. In fact, High Impact Strategy can provide you with resources to help you with that approach. However, there are many benefits to the alternative. Here’s my view of what the outside facilitator brings to the party.

  1. Guides preparation so that all necessary information is available to the planning team. Enables the team to accomplish more in the given time.
  2. Allows free and open discussion, independent of each person’s position in the organization. Enhances team ownership by ensuring common understanding, clarifying decisions, building consensus and commitment.
  3. Keeps the discussion on track, focusing on the process instead of the end result. Ensures that all voices are heard; is more likely to keep one person from dominating the discussion.
  4. Avoids participants’ concern that the internal leader has an agenda and is trying to lead them to her/his predetermined outcome. Frees the internal leader to fully participate vs. concentrate on facilitating the planning process.
  5. Increases objectivity; is more likely to distinguish between facts and opinions, and to maintain a positive tone. Helps resolve conflicts, channeling emotions into constructive problem solving.
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  7. Maintains a forward focus, against the tendency to look back on history or dwell in the present. Enforces big picture strategic thinking, when those close to the operation are drawn to tactical details.
  8. Brings fresh perspective to old challenges, generating new approaches, options, and solutions. Shares lessons learned from the experiences of other organizations.
  9. Can ask the hard questions and address delicate issues with less risk of relational conflict. May expose myths, blind spots or counterproductive behaviors that are being denied.
  10. Directs the process to the desired result—strategies and priorities that address all critical issues. Tests strategies for alignment with mission, values, and vision.
  11. Prescribes a pathway for expanding selected strategies into operational goals and objectives, specific action plans, time frames, and accountabilities. Follows up to encourage and support execution and ongoing maintenance of the plan.

What’s in a Name?

I am sure you have noticed the trend. Churches are increasingly rebranding themselves with single, generic nouns. Their reasons vary—attracting their target audience, pointing to their compelling vision, reinforcing a change in strategy, or reflecting some attribute of their location. Two churches not far from us have adopted the names Compass and Orchard.

My wife, Katie, and I were traveling in West Michigan this past weekend. Within a short time we passed churches named Corner, Bridge, and River. We mused that our home church, recently renamed Crossview, could legitimately be River Bridge Corner. We are, after all, located at the corner of two major streets; a river runs along the east side of the property; and there is a bridge just off the corner of our parking lot.

I couldn’t help reflecting further on the notion. Not the compound name, but the exercise in strategic thinking that it offered. You could, for example, model a strategy from the components of bridge, corner, and river.

  • Bridge: Move people from loneliness, unbelief, hopelessness, and/or hate to community, faith, hope, and love.
  • Corner: Empower them to turn the corner—transforming behavior, lifestyle, values, and purpose into a growing discipleship.
  • River: Train and deploy them in flowing out to others through service and spreading the good news.

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Bridge

CornerRiver

 

 

 

 

What is your favorite church name, and why is it significant?

2 Great Solutions to Grow Your Strategic Thinking

We operate in an environment of constant change, increasing speed and complexity, and nearly limitless choices. Those who focus on the tactical will be relegated to reactive mode and ultimately be left behind. To remain relevant and have an impact requires the best strategic thinking and execution possible.

As leaders, our intention and discipline to keep growing is not optional. Fortunately, there are those who can help us grow our strategic skills. Here are two on whom I depend.

Rich Horwath founded the Strategic Thinking Institute (strategyskills.com) and wrote three Deep Dive bookextraordinary books on the subject. My favorite is Deep Dive: The Proven Method for Building Strategy, Focusing Your Resources, and Taking Smart Action, Greenleaf Book Group Press, 2009. In it, Horwath builds a framework of skills and tools around his three principles of strategic thinking. Briefly, these foundational principles are acumen, which helps to generate key business insights; allocation, which focuses resources and accepts trade-offs; and action, which executes strategy to achieve goals.
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Bill Birnbaum is President of Birnbaum Associates, Publisher of Business Strategies Newsletter, and author of two strategy books. His most recent book is Strategic Thinking: A Four Piece Puzzle, Douglas Mountain Publishing, 2004. His four puzzle pieces are focus, markets, people, and process.StrategicThinking Book Birnbaum also has a resource-rich Website—birnbaumassociates.com. You will be rewarded for spending some time browsing his content.

One highlight is the model he calls the opportunity grid, presented in chapter six of the book and in an article on the site. It is a strategy tool that guides decisions about developing new services and/or new markets. Enjoy.