As the CEO or manager of the business, do you have a strategic roadmap outlining where you want to take the business? Does this roadmap make it easier for you to make management decisions? Or are you setting goals and making decisions based on what happened last year?

Unfortunately, too many strategic plans consist only of a financial budget which has been adjusted for inflation and past performance. Far too often the strategic plan becomes something which has been delegated to the CFO or financial manager and he/she is normally also held responsible for performance in line with budget. In this situation it should come as no surprise when the business fails to achieve its targets.

Strategy development is the responsibility of the CEO. The company and its stakeholders look to the CEO for strategic direction and guidance. Strategic thinking is considered to be one of the most critical leadership skills in an organisation. This does not mean, however, that the CEO must develop this strategy in isolation, instead it is often more productive to get the collective input of everyone in the company. As this is not always practical, it is frequently the senior management executives who collaborate to draft a strategy for the Company.

Palmer Business Consulting can help you to develop and document this strategic plan. Bearing in mind the dynamic business landscape and the fact that the world is now smaller than ever, it has become even more important for the leaders in an organisation to be outward thinking. We help to provide structure to the strategic thinking process so that you do not walk away from a strategic meeting with just a high level spider diagram outlining the future. We can help you develop strategies to achieve the results you want over the longer term. We do this by ultimately achieving a common understanding of the Company’s strategy amongst its senior management team and its employees.

The knowledge and experience of the managerial team are recognised as vital ingredients for constructing a sustainable and executable strategic plan. The methodology adopted in our strategic sessions underpins management’s expertise and at the same time highlights areas where industry information is lacking. It also gives the Company the opportunity to assess its “future proofness” and to establish strategic filters which will enable informed decision-making across the organisation. Specific strategic action plans are identified and documented.

A uniform understanding of the strategy can be more easily and clearly communicated to all stakeholders increasing the levels of buy-in and commitment to its successful execution.

The introduction of an external facilitator at your strategic meetings can bring significant advantages:

1. Impartiality and no pre-determined outcomes;
2. A fresh approach, with shared experiences from different industries;
3. No sentimentality – there are no “holy cows”;
4. Structured discussion to ensure the sessions are effective, productive and properly documented;
5. A common understanding of future goals and actions.

Finally, a business plan is only as successful as the implementation thereof. Reviewing the achievement of critical strategic milestones is therefore also an important part of our approach to strategy development.