Vantage Blog
SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENTING STRATEGY
Businesses that are highly successful over the long term have, in my view, a few key factors in common.
1. They are laser focussed on how they are going to compete in their chosen market – that is they have made clear strategic choices on where they will play and how they will win – in short, their competitive advantage.
2. They can identify the critical strategic priorities that will protect and grow their competitive advantage, and
3. They align the whole organisation around those strategic priorities, focussing on implementing them above all other agendas, activities and demands on their time
So how do you replicate this successful model?
1. They are laser focussed on how they are going to compete in their chosen market – that is they have made clear strategic choices on where they will play and how they will win – in short, their competitive advantage.
2. They can identify the critical strategic priorities that will protect and grow their competitive advantage, and
3. They align the whole organisation around those strategic priorities, focussing on implementing them above all other agendas, activities and demands on their time
So how do you replicate this successful model?
Blog Titles
5 QUESTIONS TO STRESS TEST YOUR STRATEGY
Do you sometimes fall into group think when developing strategy? Do you fall victim to confirmation bias? Does the loudest voice sometimes win out?
In facilitating strategy planning workshops I make sure we ensure there is time to really step back, reflect and refine.
Here are 5 questions I have found helpful in stress testing your thinking...
In facilitating strategy planning workshops I make sure we ensure there is time to really step back, reflect and refine.
Here are 5 questions I have found helpful in stress testing your thinking...
SOME ISSUES TO CONSIDER AS WE LOOK FORWARD...
Last week, as part of my own professional development, I attended conference run by Mindshop where we covered a number of areas. During the 3 days I spent listening and learning really reinforced for me the need, in this environment that is uncertain and always shifting, for us to face into the big opportunities and challenges in front of us. We need to stretch and stimulate how we approach growing people and organisations
02 Aug 2019
Beyond the Talkfest…workshops that work
In my 35+ years in business I have attended more than my fair share of offsites and planning workshops. Live-ins or ‘love-ins’ is another moniker!
05 May 2019
ACHIEVING BALANCE ON A BOARD
Is achieving balance on a Board a similar concept to work-life balance – good in theory but hard in practice?
And what factors need to be in balance – capabilities, diversity, risk, strategy ...
And what factors need to be in balance – capabilities, diversity, risk, strategy ...
09 Feb 2019
FORUM 1 2019: LEADERSHIP RESILIENCE STRATEGIES
The first Vantage Leader Forum workshop of 2019 met recently and focused on the important topic of leadership resilience. Attendees discovered emerging leadership trends for 2019 and discussed boosting their probability of personal change success ...
18 Jan 2019
WHERE WILL YOU FOCUS IN 2019?
Happy New Year!
Now that we are all refreshed following the Christmas break, it's a good opportunity to reflect on which strategies will accelerate your growth in 2019? ...
Now that we are all refreshed following the Christmas break, it's a good opportunity to reflect on which strategies will accelerate your growth in 2019? ...
04 Jan 2019
SHACKLES & SHIELDS
Change is never easy. Change in your business. Change as a leader. One of the concepts that I have found helpful when confronting change – either in your business or for you as a leader - is to ask yourself what is holding you back? ...
25 Oct 2018
TAKE THE PLUNGE… 10 YEARS ON!
LinkedIn reminded me (not that I needed reminding!) that Vantage turned 10 this month. I set off ten years ago from the so called security of a corporate career. And now have a mix of Board roles and strategy consulting gigs with a range of ...
23 Aug 2018
CONNECTING THE DOTS… MAKING SENSE OF DISRUPTION
Agility is without doubt the management buzz word of the moment. Great Leaders are agile; organisations must reorganise to be agile; your products and services, and how you go to market, must have agility at its core…or so we are all told ...
27 Feb 2018
MIND THE PERFORMANCE GAP
Continuous improvement is critical when it comes to building business and leadership capability.
However investing time building capabilities alone is not enough. What are ...
However investing time building capabilities alone is not enough. What are ...
21 Nov 2017
WINNING THROUGH RESILIENCE
The Vantage Leaders Forum (a group of CEO’s, GM’s and business owners brought together by Vantage Strategy & Marketing) met again in November to explore this topic, and what it means for their teams and for themselves. ..
13 April 2017
UNCOVERING YOUR WHY
Simon Sinek is one of those thought leaders who has had amazing cut through in the world of business strategy, including recently in relation to millennials in the workforce (if you haven't looked at this video yet, it is worth 15 minutes of your time). ..
19 Nov 2016
VANTAGE CEO FORUM -CHALLENGING GROWTH STRATEGIES FOR 2017
Last month, 25 CEO’s, GM’s and business owners met up in Melbourne for the launch of the Vantage Leaders Forum. The Forum will meet quarterly for half a day to share new ideas, learn new skills ...
02 Nov 2016
TIME TO BREAK SOME RULES...
Why is so much marketing bland and plain uninspiring? Are we trying to bore customers into buying? Lists of services masquerading as advertising. Images that make clip art look good. Websites that if you blanked out the logo would read exactly the ...
15 Oct 2016
CAN IT FIT ON ONE PAGE?
It seems to me that many business consultants and so called strategy experts try to make things complex. This really comes to the fore when the challenge of planning is on the agenda.
SWOT, PESTLE, 5 Forces, etc. Lots of acronyms, not much clarity. ..
SWOT, PESTLE, 5 Forces, etc. Lots of acronyms, not much clarity. ..
21 Sep 2016
SPEED UP THE PACE OF IMPLEMENTATION IN YOUR BUSINESS
Pressure grows on all areas of a business including its people, cash-flow, leadership, innovation, business models, technologies and ability to implement strategies successfully. This pressure ..
19 Aug 2016
VANTAGE AUGUST 2016 NEWSLETTER OUT NOW
I recently reacquainted myself with Cialdini’s 6 principles of persuasion. From reciprocity, to social proof, through to likeablity I was struck how they can be applied beyond their initial focus on marketing. ..
08 Jul 2016
6 PRINCIPLES OF PERSUASION - HOW YOU CAN INFLUENCE PEOPLE TO BUY!
I recently reacquainted myself with the work of Robert Cialdini, Professor of Psychology and Marketing, Arizona State University. He has spent 30 years studying the ways people are influenced and has identified. ..
10 Jun 2016
STRATEGY IS ALL ABOUT CHOICE – 5 QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU MAKE THOSE CHOICES
Strategy is the most overused word in business. It is often applied in describing tactics, less so in making clear how a business intends to grow in its market. ..
15 Apr 2016
HOW TO ANTICIPATE PROBLEMS AND FAILURE...CARRY OUT A PREMORTEM
Welcome Andrew Cooke as our guest blogger from Blue Sky GPS (Growth & Profit Solutions) ..
11 Feb 2016
DISCOVER 10 KEY INSIGHTS TO HELP YOUR BUSINESS GROW IN 2016
The recently released Mindshop research of business leaders reveals what fellow leaders from the US, Australia and the UK think are the key challenges ..
09 Dec 2015
VANTAGE DECEMBER 2015 NEWSLETTER OUT NOW
An inordinate amount of time in business is spent planning, reviewing what did and didn't happen, and then planning again. A vicious cycle and, obviously, a huge waste of time. ..
01 Dec 2015
ARE YOU CAUGHT IN THE PLANNING TRAP?
An inordinate amount of time in business is spent planning, reviewing what did and didn't happen, and then planning again. A vicious cycle and, obviously, a waste of time. Strange you may say from someone ..
21 Nov 2015
MARKETING - FUNCTION OR FORCE?
When working with organisations looking to review or refine their business strategy I ask them about their approach to market and their competitive advantage. Why do I start there? Because ..
29 Jul 2015
CHOICELESSNESS – THE SCOURGE OF BUSINESS TODAY
Insights and Tips from Roger Martin’s Sydney Playing to Win Seminar...Effective and successful strategy is all about making choices – what are you choosing to do and what are you explicitly ..
27 May 2015
VANTAGE MAY 2015 NEWSLETTER OUT NOW
A new model for determining the probability of change success in a business was released recently. The model was developed based on extensive research and identifies ten factors, grouped into 3 major categories ..
12 May 2015
HOW WILL THESE 5 GLOBAL MEGATRENDS TRENDS IMPACT YOUR BUSINESS?
The recently released Mindshop research of business leaders reveals what fellow leaders from the US, Australia and the UK think are the key challenges ..
23 Apr 2015
DISCOVER YOUR PROBABILITY OF CHANGE SUCCESS
A new model for determining the probability of change success in a business was released recently. The model was developed based on extensive research as part of Mindshop founder Chris Mason’s doctorate. ..
12 Mar 2015
VANTAGE MARCH 2015 NEWSLETTER OUT NOW
Growth is once again the key theme for most businesses in 2015.
However survey results show that many businesses lack the change ..
However survey results show that many businesses lack the change ..
27 Feb 2015
2015 BUSINESS LEADER INSIGHTS AND TRENDS
When working with organisations looking to review or refine their business strategy I ask them about their approach to market and their competitive advantage. Why do I start there? Because ..
10 Dec 2014
WHAT WILL BE YOUR GAME CHANGING STRATEGY FOR 2015?
Have you developed or refined your strategic plans for 2015 as yet? Is the direction clear? What will be the three key focuses / strategies? What has to change? ..
29 Oct 2014
CLARITY FROM SIMPLICITY - THE CUSTOMER POINT OF VIEW
“I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.” Mark Twain. I was reminded of this saying last week when I received my new credit cards from CBA. ..
10 Oct 2014
COMPLIMENTARY WEBINAR - TIPS & TOOLS TO HELP GET TRACTION WITH EXECUTION OF STRATEGY
One of the biggest challenges most people in business face is getting real traction or progress with implementing their ..
03 Oct 2014
A NEW APPROACH TO DEVELOPING STRATEGY...AND YOUR TEAM
The 2014 business leaders’ survey identified a number of trends and challenges which highlight the need for a different approach to strategy development and organisational learning. ..
28 Sep 2014
VANTAGE SEPTEMBER 2014 NEWSLETTER OUT NOW
To paraphrase a former prime minister it quite often seems that every parrot in the pet shop is squawking about value propositions! But what is a Value Proposition, and how do you best deliver real value to your ..
16 Sep 2014
APPOINTING AN OUTSIDER: THE NEED FOR AN INDEPENDENT ADVISORY BOARD IN A GROWING FAMILY BUSINESS
This post is by our colleague Greg Gunther from Gunther & Associates: Family businesses face ..
08 Aug 2014
5 TIPS TO HELP MAKE SOCIAL MEDIA WORK FOR YOU
Social media can sometimes appear like the emperor without clothes. Lots of people praise its power, and trumpet their success, in driving new business. Many more sit back puzzled at what all the fuss is about.
25 Jul 2014
WHAT VALUE IS THERE IN A VALUE PROPOSITION?
An inordinate amount of time in business is spent planning, reviewing what did and didn't happen, and then planning again. A vicious cycle and, obviously, a waste of time. Strange you may say from someone ..
18 Jul 2014
MARKETING - FUNCTION OR FORCE?
When working with organisations looking to review or refine their business strategy I ask them about their approach to market and their competitive advantage. Why do I start there? Because ..
OUR APPROACH
Vantage Strategy helps leaders improve their business by cutting through the clutter.We work collaboratively with our clients to develop clear strategy, achievable goals and actionable plans.