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The strategic review most businesses skip

July rolls around and for a lot of businesses, it's just the start of a new financial year on paper. But if you ask me, it's one of the most valuable windows you'll get all year, if you use it properly.Every July, I get the privilege of running strategic leadership retreats with clients I've worked with for years, and because it's the first month of the new financial year, it gives us a natural, complete chunk of time to look back on the previous twelve months.We start with the numbers. Profit a...

Stop adding 5% and calling it strategy

I'll say this every chance I get, because I think it needs saying. If your plan for next year is just last year with five or ten percent added on top, please don't call it strategic planning. It isn't one.I see this a lot, and I get why it happens. Looking back properly takes effort. It's far easier to glance at last year's numbers, nudge them up a bit, and move on with your day. But that approach assumes last year was already as good as it could be, and it skips the one step that actually makes...

The problem with preparation

When I run strategic reviews with executive teams, I've noticed something interesting happen when people come into the room having already done their own reflection beforehand.They arrive a bit closed off. They've already landed on their view of the year, and they're really just waiting for their turn to say it. So what you end up with, especially around an executive table, is six people each presenting their own conclusions one after the other. And what's missing from that picture is everything...

Full circle

I have finally admitted that my dear husband Rod Grey is no longer going to work with me in our consulting business; Grey and Grey. His role at Cooper Cricket is continuing to grow as the business does.So rather than continue trying to explain to the world that I am 1 half of Grey and Grey and the other half is really busy in another business, I have decided to come full circle, back to trading as: ...

Checking non-price criteria

When it comes to tendering, non-price criteria can often be the difference between winning and losing a bid. Price matters, but it’s usually the non-price aspects that give you the competitive edge.Whether you’re tendering for professional services, construction services, or projects through state government, federal government, or private enterprise, it’s in the non-price criteria that you have the greatest opportunity to showcase your company’s capability, credibility, and expertise....

Framework for aligning non-price criteria

Here is a practical step-by-step framework you can follow to make sure your non-price criteria are credible, consistent, and evidenced across your tender and digital footprint: ...